The Little Mermaid: Melody of the Trainer
by Pete the Rock
Summary: Melody finds herself out of her kingdom and into the Pokémon World where she joins a festival for Water Pokémon.
1. Sea Something New

Disclaimer: No ownership of Pokémon and The Little Mermaid.

 _ **The Little Mermaid: Melody of the Trainer**_

 _Chapter 1: Sea Something New_

* * *

A castle on the edge of shore. A pristine castle overlooked the ocean. The sun began to rise to the sky, nary a cloud. A small red crab surfaced and perched himself on a rock protruding from the ocean. He gazed to the castle. "Good morning, Sebastian!" someone called from above. "How's grandpa doing?!" Looking up, the crab saw a seagull flying overhead.

"Scuttle, up as usual at dis time?" the crab replied with a Jamaican accent. "Let me be clear, birdbrain! King Triton is not my grandpa!"

"Ah, don't sweat the details, Sebastian. Besides, now that the wall between the two worlds is destroyed, Ariel will be more than happy to speak to her dad."

"Yes, one positive ting since Morgana's revenge on us." As the two continued to bark about their statuses, the sun hit a bedroom where a raven-haired girl slept until the sun's rays struck her face. She feigned the sunshine but the rays won.

"Forgot to close the curtains…" she yawned as she sat up from her bed. The blanket started rolling away from her, exposing a cream-colored pantalettes and camisole. She rolled out of bed and opened the windows to breathe in the sea air. Coming out of the sea from her view was a large and aged man wearing a gold crown. His shining gray hair and beard didn't disguise his muscular build. He also had dark blue fins from the waist down.

"Good morning, Melody!" the merman greeted.

"Good morning, grandpa!" the girl greeted. "You're up bright and early."

"Well, I came to see how you're doing. After all, you're the one who destroyed the wall between the humans and merfolk." Melody giggled to the decision.

"Grandpa!" Melody left her room in the castle, the grandfather believing she'd be coming outside to further discuss matters. Melody wandered through the castle and found the kitchen. Inside was a middle-aged man wearing a puffy white chef's hat. He wore a yellow shirt with a bow-tie in front. Hearing the prattle of bare feet, he turned to see Melody entering.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle Melody," he greeted with a French accent from his pencil thin but long mustache.

"Good morning, Louis," she returned. "Did you get started with breakfast?" Louis laughed to Melody's question.

"Mais oui! It may take a little while before le preparations are fini."

"Okay!" Melody began to walk some more when a gray sheepdog rush at and around Melody. Joyed, Melody laughed while she messed with its fur. "Morning to you too, Max! Who's a good boy!?" Max barked happily before slobbering Melody with many licks as a raven-haired man emerged, He wore a white button-down shirt and slacks.

"There's my princess!" he greeted. Melody turned to the man.

"Morning, Dad," she greeted. "You doing okay?"

"We're good. You're the one mom and I have concern for." Melody laughed nervously to the comment.

"Dad, come on… I… may take a little bit after Mom." The father chuckled before an old but slim man found the two. He had gray hair tied in a ponytail,

"King Eric," he called. "Melody…" The father and daughter turned to the old man.

"Grimsby," he replied. "I figured you to be up about now."

"Come now, Eric," Grimsby scoffed. "There have been proposals presented to you about the new trade deals with other kingdoms in referring to your alliance with Atlantica." Eric sighed to the topic.

"Didn't take long for news to reach other places after Morgana's attacks," he muttered. Melody shrugged her shoulders. She and Max exited the kingdom to which they circled around the massive structure.

"I guess you wanted to meet my seafaring friends before we ate, huh?" she asked. Max barked happily as they reached the shore. Suddenly, she looked up, finding Scuttle descending, she waived him down.

"Melody!" he cawed. Looking up, the two eyed each other.

"Scuttle, good morning," she greeted. "I take it you had your breakfast?" Scuttle blinked, looking befuddled.

"I haven't been needing anything so, uh… " Sebastian and a penguin emerged from the ocean to see the princess.

"Top of the morning to you, Melody," the crab cheered. "Heard King Triton came by to see you." Melody's head spun to Sebastian with a smile.

"He did, Sebastian," she confirmed. "Just wondering about my health after Morgana's revenge. And it's nice to see you too, Tip."

"Likewise, Princess Melody," the penguin cawed. "And I can see you're wearing the locket the king gave you after your birth." Melody pulled out a gold seashell-like locket.

"Being part mermaid, I'm glad to know about where my mom came from and why I have this gift." As they admired the locket, a rotund yellow tropical fish with blue stripes and mohawk-like blue fin emerged.

"Guys, we've got a situation!" he gulped. "I may have found the biggest seahorse in existence!" Everyone, including Scuttle, began to wonder about the tropical fish's discovery.

"Flounder, my boy," Sebastian scoffed. "Even if you found a seahorse, it can be any bigger than… oh, yours truly." Scuttle's beak watered.

"Whoa, Flounder!" he cawed. "Bring it up so that I may feast on it!" Melody heard Scuttle and clamped his beak with her hand.

"Not so fast, Scuttle," she murmured. She released her grip where Scuttle rubbed his beak to straighten it. "Can you bring up this seahorse?" Flounder nodded before coaxing a large blue seahorse to surface with a tube-shaped mouth. Everyone gasped and awed the discovery. Melody focused on the seahorse. "It's okay. I won't let Scuttle or Tip hurt you. I promise." The seahorse hesitantly swam to Melody who picked it up. "There you go… I know that seeing all these other creatures kinda made you nervous." The seahorse sighed, flustered to the discovery.

"I've got a question, and I think it I speak for everyone," Flounder spoke up. "Where did this giant seahorse come from?" Scuttle didn't mind the seahorse's origin.

"Who cares!" he cawed. "It's breakfast time!" The seahorse saw the charging seagull and shot a blotch of ink that nailed Scuttle in the eyes. Blinded, Scuttle crashed into the rocks before entering the ocean. The rest awed the seahorse's defense.

"Dat's not a seahorse to mess with," Sebastian gulped.

"No kidding," Tip beaked. Melody began to wonder more.

"I know I should get ready for breakfast," she weighed. "But I wanna return this seahorse back home." The seahorse seemed eager to go back from the way it came.

"Melody, wait a mon!" croaked Sebastian. "What about Ari- I mean, your mama! And don't you need to have breakfast?!"

"I'll be back before long," Melody assured. "I know how long it takes Louis to cook." As Melody took the seahorse, Tip trusted her word.

"She's known the ins and outs of that castle," he sighed. "She'll be back." A short while later, Melody and the seahorse came to a new part of the shore. The seahorse hummed about the spot.

"You came around here?" she asked. The seahorse nodded before Melody placed it in the ocean water. "Go on ahead. I'll follow you." The seahorse seemed befuddled with Melody's request. "I've been swimming since I was born and can hold my breath for a long time." The seahorse wanted to agree and led Melody into the ocean where she began her swim. She followed the seahorse into a cavern. A minute into the swim, the two surfaced. Melody climbed a small wall and hoisted herself up. "This can't be where you're from." She picked the seahorse from the water and walked through the dark tunnel with water churning while only being up to her ankles. "I see… you entered here and the water carried you from your home to mine." The seahorse sighed. "Kinda wished I brought my bag along." She found another hole to where the seahorse hummed. "So, you came through this?" A hum later with a deep breath had the two crawling through the walls underwater. It took another minute before the two found light. Resurfacing, Melody took a deep breath. The seahorse made flight by rushing through the water and out the hole with impressive air time. That's when she heard cheering. She crawled out of the cave to find a lot of kids and various creatures in boats and ferries. Blue turtles that had red shells, goldfishes with flowing tails, living coral reefs, mantas… "Wow! So many seafaring creatures!" She also saw a ferry where she spotted a raven-haired young man in a red baseball cap. He wore a sleeveless blue sweat-tee and denim trousers. On his shoulder was a yellow mouse with a lightning bolt for a tail. Melody skirt behind the wall of the cave. _'Who…_ _is that? He looks cute… and that mouse with the pointy ears...'_ The young man was with five other young people, one holding an armless blue round mouse with a zigzag tail attached to a ball.

"Misty, this festival knows how to bring out a lot of trainers and Water Pokémon," the young man laughed.

"I know, Ash," the redhead replied. She held the armless mouse while her hair was in a ponytail and wearing a yellow sleeveless t-shirt with matching shorts. "You get to appreciate other trainers and owners who've wanted to share their secrets in raising their Water Pokémon. You and May could learn a few things from them." A brunette young woman gawked to the redhead's words. She wore a red bandanna and tight red t-shirt and biker shorts. She then itched her head.

"Well, considering I acquired Squirtle from Professor Oak, I guess so," she shyly agreed. The mouse hopped off Ash's shoulder to peer at the Pokémon swimming as well as seagulls with large heads and hardly a neck, and pelicans with no necks as well.

"Pikachu's excited to see all of the Water Pokémon," another young raven-haired man noted. He wore a green t-shirt and reddish-brown shorts while sporting a salmon-colored headband. Pikachu saw the cave and Melody who ducked down a little. She slowly appeared as Pikachu looked elsewhere.

"Let me see if I can meet him," she wished. She dove into the water and swam to the ferry. The seahorse joined her when she heard a growl. Turning, the two saw a dark blue shark with no tail and four fins around the body while a yellow X was on its forehead. It swam right at Melody who screamed. Pikachu squeaked to the rest and Ash was the first to respond.

"What is it, Pikachu?" he asked. Seeing Melody and the seahorse chased, Ash gulped as the rest saw.

"A Sharpedo!" a raven-haired boy in glasses gasped. He wore a green t-shirt and dark shorts.

"And it's going after that girl and the Horsea!" the redhead alerted. Without a second to think, Ash leaped from the rail of the ferry into the water with a red/white ball in hand.

"I choose you, Kingler!" he called out. The ball opened to reveal a giant red crustacean with fangs and spikes on the head for the crown. It also had two pincers, one twice as big as the other. Hitting the water, the crustacean swam fast to catch up to Melody and Horsea. Within reach, Ash grabbed and pulled Melody out of Sharpedo's path. "Gotcha!" Horsea swam behind the crustacean. Sharpedo turned around and chased the crustacean.

"It's coming back!" she called out. Ash nodded before issuing a command.

"Kingler, use Crab Hammer!" he decided. Kingler spun before connecting an uppercut with a glowing pincer. Sharpedo flew into the air. Ash decided to end the mayhem. "Pikachu, it's out of the water. Nail it with Thunderbolt!" Pikachu leaped from the railing and emitted a blast of electricity, zapping the attacking Pokémon. Sharpedo fell into the water, charred from the shock. It surfaced and swam away.

"That scared Sharpedo away," a brunette young man cheered. The tanned young man with squinted eyes wore a brown jacket and slacks. His hair was like spikes. Pikachu landed back on the ferry as Ash nodded to the eviction.

"Good thing Pikachu saw you in time," Ash sighed. "Let's get back to the ferry. Kingler?" Obeying, Kingler swam back to the ferry as Melody got a closer look at the boy who rescued her.

' _That cute face, the zigzags under his eyes, the way he chased that shark away,'_ she listed in her head. _'I think I'm already falling for him. I mean, he looks like Dad a little. I wonder if Mom felt like what I'm going through right now?'_ Ash and Melody rode Kingler back to the ship while Melody's cheeks began to blush. Little does Ash know who he rescued.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Water You Wanna See?

_Chapter 2: Water You Wanna See?_

* * *

Kingler returned to the ferry with Ash, Melody and Horsea on his back. Reaching the side, Ash allowed Melody to climb the ladder. Horsea stood on Melody's shoulder as she climbed the ladder to May's arm. "Let's get you over!" she encouraged. With a hop, Melody was on the ferry's deck with Ash now on the ladder. He turned to the crustacean.

"Nice work, Kingler," he complimented as he pointed the ball he emerged from. "Get some rest, okay?" Kingler garbled in confirmation before a beam struck him, turning into a red light. He soon returned to the ball and disappeared. Ash climbed the ferry to see Melody who was getting checked out by the tanned young man.

"You're not hurt, are you?" he asked.

"No, he got me out of there," Melody sighed in relief. Horsea also sighed.

"Horsea's also glad Ash and Kingler rescued you," Misty studied. Melody blinked to the name.

"Horsey?" she somewhat repeated. Horsea leaped from her shoulder to her head before going in front. She caught it. "This is a seahorse, not a pony… albeit a rather large seahorse." The others blinked, including Pikachu.

"She's not wrong in a sense," the raven-haired boy thought. Melody returned to the side to see Kingler.

"Thanks for-" she tried to praise but saw nothing but water. "Where… did that…" She turned to the rest. "What happened to that giant crab? You called it Kingler." Ash realized she wanted to see the Pokémon again.

"Probably didn't mean to return you so soon, but she wants to see you again," he sighed. Opening the ball, Ash released Kingler. Melody's face read awe and confusion.

"You summoned him?" she guessed. "You're a summoner?" The headband young man shook his head.

"Not like that, per say," he denied. "Aside from Max, we're all trainers." Confused, Melody tilted her head. This told the headband young man something about her. "She's gotta be from another world… or another time period." Misty huffed a sigh to the headband young man's study.

"As long as you don't say she's an alien, Tracey," she warned.

"Even that's too soon, Misty," the tanned young man grumbled. Seeing Kingler again, Melody petted the crustacean.

"Thank you for helping me and the seahorse from that shark," she complimented. Kingler garbled a laugh. Pikachu jumped onto Kingler's head to see Melody for himself. Remembering the other command, Melody petted the mouse as well. "And thank you for keeping that shark away. You're not as hairy as Max but you're still cute to pet." The boy gawked to the description.

"How am I hairy?" he wondered. Melody blinked as May cackled to the mistake.

"No, I mean my sheepdog named Max!" the princess corrected. Soon, she slapped herself in the head. "Okay, this is really hard to follow. I'm not sure of anything anymore…" Ash rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, we're here to help you out," he assured. Melody turned to see Ash with blushing cheeks.

"Well… _almost_ anything," she giggled. "I'm Melody."

"It's nice to meet you, Melody," Ash introduced himself. "I'm Ash. That's Pikachu on top of Kingler." Pikachu squeaked upon his name called out. Tracey blinked to the name.

"That's not the same Melody from Shamouti Island," he examined. Ash continued with introductions with Misty.

"That's Misty and her Azurill," he proceeded. Next came the young men, starting with the tanned one. "That's Brock right there. There's Tracey…" Next, he turned to May and the other raven-haired boy "May and Max." Melody palmed her face.

"Sorry, I didn't know that was your name, Max," she apologized.

"Don't sweat it," Max scoffed. "You said that your… sheepdog had that name too, whatever one of those are." Tracey chose to add more to the discussion.

"Like I said before, we're Pokémon Trainers," he informed. "Around here, Pokémon are practically all over the place. Some able to fly, some that can swim and some that look like us a little." Melody seemed to start understanding Tracey's meaning.

"So this seahorse," she started with Horsea. "The Kingler, the Pikachu, the Azurill… that shark… They're all… Pokémon?"

"That's right," Brock confirmed. "I know it's a little hard to follow, though you'll see more at the AquaMon Festival held in King Sea Island." Melody now realized the ferry's purpose.

"So that's where this ship's taking you," she concluded. "It sounds like more of these Pokémon like Kingler and this seahorse will be around." That's when she remembered Ash's heroics. "I nearly forgot…" She walked to Ash with a smile. "Thank you as well." She gave Ash a kiss to the cheek. Misty and May growled to the scene.

"…And just like the other Melody, she has the nerve to give Ash a kiss," Misty remembered. Ash blushed to the kiss.

"Sure, Ash saves a girl and she gives him a kiss," May copied before gasping. She realized the problem with her statement. "Ash saved me a few times but I didn't do anything back to him!"

"And what's that have to do with this?" questioned Misty. That's when they all heard Brock whimpering loudly and turned to him.

"I've been after a dream woman since I've been with Ash traveling, and he gets it almost immediately?!" he whined. "It's not fair!" Misty, May and Max groaned to Brock's plea.

"It's because he wasn't asking for one when you do all the time," Max pointed out. "But we're gonna make a stop before we get to the festival that Misty brought up." Misty nodded to confirm Max's point.

"You can come along as well, as long as you don't wear that," she added. Melody blinked before looking at her camisole and pantalettes. She also noted her bare feet.

"Well, I've been swimming a bit this morning before finding this place," she thought back.

"And we can't have you catching a cold," Tracey added. "Luckily, Misty knows a shop nearby our stop where you can get yourself something to don and we can eat." Melody's face became concern.

' _Oh no!'_ she gulped. _'Louis! I forgot about breakfast! What do I do?!'_ Her panicked face alerted Ash and Pikachu.

"Is something wrong?" asked Ash. Pikachu also wondered. Melody shook her head, shaking off the thought.

"Nothing serious… and I'm sorry for causing all this panic." The ferry stopped and all disembarked.

"Misty and I will get Melody the new clothes," May offered.

"We'll see you at the Pokémon Center," Misty promised. The boys left the scene where the girls entered the clothing store. Combing through, May, Melody and Misty saw some t-shirts with various seafaring creature designs to them. They gave Melody some clothes to try in the dressing room.

"Is it alright if I ask you something?" she asked. "About Ash?" May and Misty blinked to the request.

"What would you want to know?" wondered Misty.

"What's Ash like? I mean, I just feel blessed that he was the one with the Kingler and Pikachu that rescued me, right?" Misty fidgeted to the question.

"Well, he's a bit on the brash side," May opted to answer. "But he's meaningful. He does go out of his way to make sure the Pokémon are okay, including his Pikachu." Melody started to have an image of Ash from May's briefing.

"He does get into the fray before thinking, a lot," Misty shrugged. "But how he comes out of every situation, it still leaves us amazed. He doesn't necessarily rely on a single strategy when battling." Melody gulped to the word.

"Battling?" she repeated. "As in fighting?" Misty and May gawked when thinking they gave Melody wrong information.

"Well, Pokémon Battles are controlled," Misty tried to clarify. "In fact, there's a tournament which highlights the AquaMon Festival. Ash and I will be in it, but May…" The named girl itched her head.

"I've… only got Squirtle, so I can't participate," she shyly bowed. Melody opened the door, revealing a water-printed t-shirt with hues of orange splotches inside a large patch of white in the middle. The lower part of while looked to be pieces of kelp and blue circles near the neck. She also wore denim shorts and blue aqua shoes. Before May and Misty weighed in, Azurill, still in Misty's arms, and Horsea, in May's arms, approved the new look. "Not too shabby…" Misty agreed to May's and the Pokémon's assessment. After paying for the clothes, they walked out and found Max by an entrance to a large structure.

"Hey, not bad, Melody," he complimented. "Ash would totally go for that Goldeen shirt."

"At least no one will say that I run around in my undergarments anymore," Melody joked. "So, what's this place?" Misty turned to find a sign.

"It's been awhile since I've been here," she recalled. "It's the KantAquarium, the only aquarium in this region. There are all sorts of Water Pokémon in here to see." Max and the girls entered to see all sorts of seafaring Pokémon like purple tadpoles with swirls on their bodies, bluish-gray anglers with antennae dangling in front of them, bivalves with faces on pearl-shaped heads and orange fish with lightly wrinkled light tan fish. A white fish with the same orange splotches as Melody's new shirt. It had a long, flowing tail that acted like a dress.

"There's a Goldeen right now!" pointed May. Melody awed the look of Goldeen. She saw a lot of seafaring Pokémon which wowed her. Out of nowhere…

"What are you doing here!?" sounded Brock. Hearing their friend, the group ran to find Ash and Tracey glaring at a cowering Brock in front of a purple-haired woman in a white lab coat and skirt over a black swimsuit.

"It's nice to see you too, Brock," she greeted. Misty looked dumbfounded.

"It's… Professor Ivy!" she gawked. Hearing her name, the woman turned to the girls and Max.

"My my!" she giggled. "Misty,… So the whole gang's here."

"Apparently," Ash scoffed. Misty handed Azurill to May before reaching Brock. She pulled him up by his ear.

"The only time you face a woman like Professor Ivy, you end up like this?!" she scolded. The antic made Ivy laugh.

"I know I haven't been here long but what's wrong with Brock?" asked Melody.

"That's what I wanna know," Max wondered. Ivy snickered to the sight.

"I must apologize for before," she spoke up. "See, I may look young for someone in their late 30's." Ash and Misty gawked to Ivy's age.

"Well, I… didn't expect that," Ash muttered.

"I thought you dumped him, but no," Misty figured. "You're a little old for Brock." That's when she had another piece of information enter her head. "Hold on, what about your assistants?"

"You mean Charity, Hope and Faith?" guessed Ivy. "They're a little tall for 14 year olds." Learning this, Misty determined the outcome.

"Brock prefers older women but more in his ballpark," she mulled. "He's really picky." Ivy now turned to Ash.

"So, did the GS Ball reach Professor Oak?" she questioned.

"It did," Ash replied. "But he couldn't open the GS Ball himself, so we brought it to Kurt in Azalea Town. Haven't heard anything since." Ivy crossed her arms.

"I see…" she sighed. That's when she saw Melody and the Horsea. She reached the princess.

"Can I take a look at your Horsea?" she asked.

"My-" she yelped before shaking her head. "This seahorse found me and brought me here."

"Really?" Ivy decided to help with the name. "See, separate the two syllables and flip them. It'd be like saying horse sea." Melody suddenly realized the reason for the name.

"I get it!" she figured. Ivy came back to the topic.

"See, there were reports that a Horsea got separated from its parents," she explained. "They're sheltered in this aquarium along with other Water Pokémon that have been injured and found sanctuary here." Melody awed the effort of the aquarium and their staff. Ivy brought them to another part of the aquarium where Horsea saw a pair of seahorses bigger than it was, one with huge spikes and with a triangular snout. The other seemed to have branches protruding from its head and back, a pair of wings entwined to the back branches.

"Seadra!" noted Tracey. "And Kingdra!"

"And I thought Horsea was rather big for a seahorse," Melody gulped. "I… might've spoken a little soon." Horsea began to act up, alerting the Seadra and Kingdra. To Ivy, this made sense.

"I knew it," she confirmed. "Those are Horsea's parents." Melody turned to the elder woman.

"You mean the two in there lost this little guy?" she wanted to know.

"Yes. Horsea evolve to Seadra and then to Kingdra. Since these two are a couple, they might've been the Pokémon to conceive this little Horsea." Melody realized the truth about Horsea and wanted to act on it.

"Can I return Horsea to its parents?" Before Ivy could answer…

"Sure, but let me make sure it's in good health," a pink-haired woman asked. The young woman wore her hair in loop and donned a skimpy pink nurse's outfit and stockings. She was also tanned, a shade darker than Brock. Speaking of…

"Nurse Joy!" he cried out. He held Joy's hands as he swooned to her. "The island sun has transformed you into this lovely goddess! You may be built like a Machoke, but even the tenderness of a man's hands can ease the tensions of the surf you- AH!" His words were silenced by Misty grabbing his earlobe and pulling him away. He lost his grip to Joy.

"You just wiped out on that tide of love!" she scowled. The rest looked on with befuddled looks.

"Isn't it your job, Max?" questioned May.

"Yeah, but she's the pioneer," Max sneered. "And I bet she misses doing that since the Mirage Kingdom." Melody heard Max and turned to him.

"There's a kingdom that you visited?" she wondered.

"Yeah, there's one back in the Hoenn Region where we saw a kingdom after being taken there by force," May added. Melody awed the discovery. Joy returned to Melody, now learning that she's a nurse.

"It shouldn't take long," she promised. Tracey recognized Joy.

"Hold on!" he yelped. "You're the Nurse Joy from that unknown island in the Orange Islands!" Recognizing a familiar face, Joy smiled.

"I thought it was you, Tracey," she remembered. "I heard you're Professor Oak's assistant in Pallet Town."

"You heard right. By the way, where's Chansey and how's Gyarados? And what about that swimsuit we saw you in?"

"Chansey's back at the Pokémon Center with the other Nurse Joys helping out, and Gyarados is swimming free around the islands. Also, I have that suit. I'm saving it for the festival. Luckily, I can do some hands-on check-up with Horsea." Melody continued to wonder as Joy felt around Horsea, checking for any abnormal bruises. A minute later, she returned Horsea to Melody. "Horsea's a bit dehydrated but when it's back with its parents, he'll be right as rain."

"Thanks, Joy," Melody praised. After the meeting, they continued on through the aquarium when Ash spotted someone familiar as well. He had a small seagull on his shoulder.

"Mister Briney?" he guessed. The bald man with the white beard turned to see the kids.

"If it isn't Ash and the siblings!" he cheered. "The King Sea Island calls upon you as well?"

"Well, sort of," May giggled. "We were invited by Misty to see the AquaMon Fesitval. Looks like Peeko's doing well." The seagull cawed happily to seeing May.

"Peeko's happy to see you as well," Briney chuckled before seeing Melody and Horsea. "I heard that a Horsea got lost somehow. Are you returning the little one to the Seadra and Kingdra?" Melody fluffed a nod. "I see… Come with me." They exited the aquarium and climbed to the enormous pool connected to said building. Melody reached the edge and placed Horsea into the water as Seadra came to see it.

"There you go," she allowed. Horsea swam to Seadra who nuzzled it.

"Just like Nurse Joy said," Ash replayed. That's when Melody spotted a pink fin protruding from the water.

"Who's there?" she asked. All looked as it slowly started to rise out and swam to see the group.

"It's a Luvdisc," Briney identified. "It's a true find." The Luvdisc emerged from the pool, showing itself in a shape of a heart.

"Daisy and I have two Luvdisc back home in the Cerulean Gym," Misty claimed. Briney decided to press on the subject.

"Ah, so you must be familiar with the Luvdisc legend," he pondered. Misty blinked to Briney's hint.

"There's a legend?" she wondered.

"The name of Luvdisc came from a discovery where a couple found one as they were on a canoe together," he recalled. "Legend has it that the couple became surrounded by a massive school and the hearts that are their bodies embodied eternal love. They remained a couple through the rest of their lives." Misty irked to the mentioning while Ash and Melody got close to see the Luvdisc.

"You're kidding…" She reached Ash to observe something. "Ash, see if your PokéDex can scan Luvdisc."

"Alright," Ash agreed as be presented a red hand-held device. Luvdisc appeared on the screen.

"Luvdisc, the Rendezvous Pokémon," it computed. Melody looked at the device over Ash's shoulder. "Luvdisc's body symbolizes love and romance. Should a couple be in contact with a Luvdisc, they're blessed with love that can never be broken." To Brock, this was a perfect setup.

"Yes!" he cheered. That's when he ran to the side of the pool. "Okay, Luvdisc… I know it's kind of a stretch but maybe you can find a special girl who can give me the pleasures of- AH!" SPLASH! Max interrupted Brock by kicking his buttocks, literally.

"They see love, not find it!" he corrected. "Talk about someone being all wet…" The rest shuttered in thought when the Luvdisc started chirping wildly.

"Is that… Luvdisc gonna…" stuttered May. That's when a school of Luvdisc emerged. All but Ash and Melody stood back in fear of what the Luvdisc would do. Fortunately, all they did was sing. Ash and Melody felt a strange sensation in their bodies.

"The legend…" Briney gulped. "Is it true? Are they… the couple?" The Luvdisc finished their song and cheered to the two that stood for them. Back by the entrance, Briney had an offer. "My ferry's big enough to get you to King Sea Island. What do you say we head there after breakfast tomorrow?" The kids agreed, as well as Ivy.

"Mister Briney, thank you for the offer," she praised. They entered a building with a red "P" above the door. Night had fallen. The boys had a bedroom, same with the girls. Before Ash could step in with Pikachu, Melody confronted him.

"Ash?" she called. Ash turned to Melody, back in her camisole and pantalettes.

"Melody, what's up?" he asked.

"Is it alright if I sleep with Pikachu tonight? It won't be the same since I had Horsea in my arms." Ash smiled to the request, throwing in a chuckle.

"Sure thing." Happily, Pikachu leaped from Ash's shoulder to Melody's arms.

"Thanks." Melody returned to the bedroom with May, Misty and Ivy.

"I never would've guessed you'd be that old," Misty awed. "Even I thought you and Brock would hit it off." Ivy, in a black nightgown, giggled to Misty's belief.

"Some people tend to look young for their ages," she claimed.

"I bet!" laughed May. Ivy then saw Melody looking up. She wondered if this had to do with the Luvdisc.

"Thinking about Briney's story and how the Luvdisc emerged?" she guessed. Melody turned to Ivy with a gawk.

"Wha-" she stuttered. "What… gives you that idea?"

"Well, the way you're staring up in a dream-like state." Melody balked to the explanation.

"Wow…" She recovered. "I don't know. I haven't been as sassy for a while. I guess the Luvdisc may have been an extra reason." The rest in the room snickered to Melody's claim.

"It's alright," May said.

"I guess so," Melody muttered. May looked to the side of Melody's bed to see the locket.

"By the way, that's a nice pendant you have," she pointed out. Pikachu hopped over to see it himself.

"The locket's a family heirloom," Melody corrected. "It was given to me by my grandpa."

"And with it being pure gold, I can understand you wanting to secure it," Ivy added. Melody nodded as the lights were turned off. All fell asleep with Melody's arms firmly around Pikachu. As the building became quiet, a mass of large creatures swam down the river with big spiky backs. What could be floating in the ocean?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…

(I want to extend a congrats to the Washington Capitals [Stanley Cup] and Golden State Warriors [NBA Finals] on their championship victories.)


	3. Lotication

_Chapter 3: Lotication_

* * *

The new morning rose at the Pokémon Center, but Melody and Pikachu beat the rising sun. "Morning, Pikachu," she greeted before kissing the Pokémon on the forehead. He let out a chime that made Melody smile. The two stepped outside to breathe in the oceanic air. "Nothing like the smell of the ocean to wake you up in the morning. It does feel different than back home." Pikachu squeaked in concern. "Sorry. I guess I'm not used to Centers like this. Glad to know you're good to go." Briney exited from the center with Peeko on his shoulder.

"Slept well, Melody?" he asked.

"I did, Mister Briney. Kinda anxious about King Sea Island." Briney chuckled to the princess and mouse's anxiety.

"There's plenty to see when we reach the island. After breakfast, you'll see for yourself."

"You mean like more Pokémon?"

"Yes. When you board my boat, I customized it with a window to see them." Melody blinked to Briney's offer. Briney reentered the Center before Melody and Pikachu. They had breakfast with the rest of the people and Pokémon. After breakfast, the group began to board Briney's ferry. Hopping on, Melody saw a large pane of glass in the deck. This concerned Melody.

"Mister Briney… Why is there a large hole in your boat? And how is it still floating?" Pikachu reached the glass and stood on it. This astonished the princess.

"Pikachu's showing you that the surface is hard glass," Brock pointed out. "This way, we can see the Water Pokémon as they swim." Melody awed the contraption.

"That's pretty awesome," she said.

"Well, especially to those who can't swim," Misty pointed out. "Let alone be afraid of water." Melody blinked in confusion.

"I could teach anyone how to swim," she contested. Before Misty could respond, something opened from her red bag. A light. That light became a yellow duck with a tuff of black hair and its feathers holding its head. When it looked down and saw water beneath its feet… it wildly quacked in fear. Misty latched onto the awkward duck.

"Psyduck, you're safe!" she pleaded. May, Max, Melody and Briney looked on in confusion.

"Psyduck is quacking out about water?" wondered May.

"Psyduck, a Water Pokémon, is hydrophobic," Max described.

"That's a first," Briney gulped.

"Tell me about it," Melody mulled. Briney untied the boat from the dock but before they could sail off.

"WAIT!" shouted a woman. In a police uniform with a skirt and stiletto heels, a turquoise-haired woman stood on the dock and waived up to those in Briney's ferry. By her was a small blue turtle with a red shell and triangular sunglasses. Brock gawked with hearts in his eyes.

"Officer Jenny!" he cried out. He jumped out of the ferry and confronted Jenny with hands clamped. "I remember, you're the Officer Jenny from Cerulean City! How else can I tell from the shampoo you use being made of Corsola aloe from the horns they shed!" Max ended the charade by shedding Brock from Jenny.

"You need to condition yourself!" he grumbled as he dragged Brock back to the boat by his ear. "And shed these bad habits!" Ash came off the boat, seeing the turtle.

"Officer Jenny, what brings you around?" he asked.

"Just the Pokémon Trainer I was looking for," she smiled. The turtle leaped from the dock to Ash's arms.

"Squirtle, how you doing?!" Squirtle croaked to the question.

"The Squirtle Squad wanted to give their leader a little break. They've got enough confidence by themselves as firefighters to save lives." Ash chuckled to the addition.

"This actually finishes my lineup. I've got all my Water Pokémon on hand, as well as two extra." Squirtle seemed excited to see Ash's friends and Pokémon.

"You have fun, Squirtle." Ash's Squirtle croaked back as he and Ash got back on the boat before it left the dock. Overhearing, Melody wondered about Squirtle's job.

"A firefighter?" she repeated. "You fight… fires?" Squirtle nodded to Melody.

"Not only are Squirtle great firefighters, but their evolutionary forms as well in Wartortle and Blastoise," Brock pointed out. "Not only do they extinguish fires but they also rescue trapped victims." Melody awed the work Squirtle put himself through.

"That is wonderful!" she cheered. "But, what is that on Squirtle's face?" Squirtle removed the sunglasses and gave them to Melody.

"Squirtle wouldn't go anywhere without his Squirtle Squad Sunglasses," Misty sighed. Melody chuckled before seeing Psyduck alone. She walked over to the Duck Pokémon.

"Need some company?" she asked. Psyduck turned to see Melody before being hoisted. She sat back down with Psyduck on her lap. "See? You're fine." Psyduck wasn't sure about being held by someone it didn't know. Seeing Ash's Squirtle, May wanted to bring hers out.

"I know mine's young but let me show you my Squirtle!" she cheered as she threw her ball up, revealing a smaller Squirtle. It looked up to the older Squirtle who greeted it. Intimidated, May's Squirtle withdrew into its shell. Ash's Squirtle croaked to the scared Pokémon. May's Squirtle hesitantly emerged.

"At least Squirtle's got Squirtle's back," Brock joked. The ferry continued onward toward King Sea Island. Melody looked through the window of the ferry, finding plenty of sea life swimming beneath them: Goldeen, Horsea, some she hasn't seen like blue puffer fish, pink walking coral reefs, light blue jellyfish… Misty saw the jellyfish with two tendrils and red orbs embedded in their heads and became elated.

"Tentacool!" she cheered.

"Really?" questioned Melody.

"I'm a big fan of Tentacool and their evolved form, Tentacruel." That's when a much larger blue jellyfish emerged with many more tendrils, red orbs around their heads and crooked beaks from between their eyes. "And there they are: Tentacruel!" One of the Tentacruel spotted the ferry's window and Misty through it. The giant jellyfish Pokémon swam up and made its appearance.

"That's huge!" gawked Max. Misty waived the Tentacruel over to which it waived a tendril. It then dove back down. To Tracey, that Tentacruel had an interesting behavior.

"You don't think that Tentacruel is from the pirates we stopped before, is it?" he guessed.

"Not really sure," Misty shrugged. "But it's still nice to have one waive back." Melody had a giggle before cries bellowed. All heard the cries when they looked back. Emerging from below and surrounding Briney's ferry were a school of blue plesiosaur-like creatures with horns on their heads and spiked rocky shells.

"Lapras!" cheered Ash. The kids became elated to seeing the swimming dinosaur Pokémon.

"I can't believe we're seeing this huge pod up close!" awed May. One Lapras reached Ash and plucked his cap. This made Ash turn to the Lapras who wailed excitedly.

"Nice to see you too, buddy!" he laughed. May, Max and Melody gasped to the identity.

"That's _your_ Lapras?!" he snapped. A purple Lapras sided with the now-known Lapras Ash had once. This puzzled the girls.

"That Lapras looks different than the others," Melody pointed out. Ash's Lapras and the purple Lapras nuzzled with each other.

"Apparently, that Shiny Lapras and your Lapras are in love!" pointed Brock. Pikachu and the Squirtles became excited at the discovery. "I guess when you're the leader of the Lapras pod, you can make a few bragging rights like who to have as a leader!" Ash's Lapras lowered his head to Ash who got the idea.

"Remembering old times, huh?" he guessed. Lapras wailed in agreement. Melody stood and got to Ash's side.

"Can I come with?" she asked.

"Of course!" The two boarded Ash's Lapras after Melody put Psyduck down near Misty. Pikachu squeaked to the fun Ash and Melody were about to have as they sailed closer to King Sea Island. The Shiny Lapras nuzzled Melody, making her laugh.

"Hey, that tickles!" Ash thought about the reason and gave her the advice.

"That Lapras wants to give you a ride!" Melody gasped to the idea. The Shiny Lapras nodded, allowing Melody to board the back. Once on, the two Lapras swam fast.

"I might have trouble keeping up with these two on land!" she yelped. Suddenly, the Lapras couple nodded to each other. They dove underwater, spooking those on the ferry as they reached the railing.

"ASH!" they shouted. "MELODY!" Beneath the surface, Ash and Melody held their breaths as they got to see more seafaring Pokémon like a large blue manta ray that swam around the humans. They witnessed white horn sea lions, round blue whales, large goldfish, blue and pink eels… that's when Melody saw a yellow sea serpent with red antennae made like eyebrows. It had an elegant face with the long and with red and blue scales at the tail and fins like a blue peacock. Those watching through the window gasped to the sight.

"It's a Milotic!" recognized Tracey. "Is it also here for the AquaMon Festival?"

"It's gorgeous!" awed Misty.

"We've seen Luvdisc and now Milotic around since Melody showed up," Brock studied. "Maybe we're looking at a real Water Pokémon Whisperer." His wording made Misty cringe.

"If anyone's gonna be a Water Pokémon Whisperer, it should be me!" she snapped. Brock and May irked to her yell, stepping back. After sometime, the Lapras came out to let Ash and Melody breathe air.

"Just like old times, Lapras!" he laughed. Lapras happily wailed. Both Lapras helped Ash and Melody back onto Briney's ferry.

"I can't believe I saw a beautiful creature like that!" she cheered. "So elegant, I thought I was looking at a Pokémon version of a mermaid!" Misty, May and Tracey laughed to the reaction.

"Well, Milotic can do that to those who see it," Tracey agreed. Melody awed the name given.

"Milotic…" she repeated. She looked out to the ocean with Pikachu on her shoulder. Briney eyed an island with a few large buildings and tents set up. There were other ferries that had docked to allow their passengers to depart.

"Land, ho!" he announced. "King Sea Island!" The group made the long journey and the Lapras pod joined in the escapade.

"Professor Ivy's gonna miss out," Max sighed.

"Yeah, but at least now I can't let that name bother me like before," Brock huffed.

"Right, because Natalie still might come after you." Brock jumped at the name given by Max.

"Not funny!" Briney docked the ferry and the kids stepped off.

"Mister Briney?" wondered Melody. She now wore a scale-pattern orange shirt with a yellow collar. "Are you joining?"

"I will, Melody!" he replied. "I have to tie my ferry down and register it. I'll join you in about half an hour!"

"Okay!" Ash came to the Lapras, mainly his old friend.

"Will you be around to help out?" he asked. Lapras wailed a little and nodded. "Okay. I don't want to split you two apart, that's all." The Shiny Lapras happily wailed like a laugh. Ash returned to his friends when they're greeted by young women in coconut bikinis, grass skirts, flower circlets and flower bracelets.

"Welcome to King Sea Island!" the blond woman greeted.

"You must be here for the AquaMon Festival?" the strawberry blond woman guessed. Brock wasted no time in confront the women.

"We may be here for the festival," he replied. He held the strawberry blond's hands together. "But allow me to give you the big 'Aloha!' that comes from finding gorgeous young ladies like yourselves who can give my lonely heart the biggest resuscitation in love and-" His swooning lisp ended when Misty grabbed his ear again.

"Note of advice, Brock!" she grumbled as she dragged Brock away. "Aloha also means goodbye!" As Misty dealt with Brock, the greeters gave the rest of the kids rainbow leis. They soon entered the marketplace where there were all sorts of fruits, vegetables, meats and sweets. They also had Pokémon dolls and clothing from swimwear to pajamas.

"I had no idea the AquaMon Festival was this popular," Tracey said in astonishment.

"Well, it does come around once every five years," Misty informed. "I wanted to come last time but my sisters said I wasn't ready after being in the mouth of a Gyarados at a young age." Looking around, Ash spotted a young blond woman with a pink flower in her hair. She wore a pink light jacket over a red mini-dress and white dress shoes.

"I bet Daisy over there is the one who said you couldn't go," he pointed out. All looked to the blond and Misty's face paled.

"What's she doing here!?" she stammered. Daisy saw the group and came over.

"Hey, Misty!" she greeted. "I thought you'd make it with your friends."

"What's the big idea?! I thought you three had the Cerulean Gym secured!"

"And we did! Not only are Violet and Lily here as well, but you have that show to perform tomorrow!" Misty balked to the notification. That's when May and Max realized the purpose.

"You mean to tell us that the invitation was to see you perform in a show?" the little brother questioned.

"Well, that is to say…" she stuttered.

"It's one of the features in the AquaMon Festival," Daisy summarized. "After all, I'm part of the counsel for this event." Melody blinked to Daisy's title.

"Part of the counsel?" she repeated.

"She's a staff member that keeps the festival running, and there are a plenty to go around," Tracey answered.

"I see…" Daisy saw Ash and Melody together and came over to see them.

"Well, if it isn't our favorite Pallet Town boy," she greeted. "And Pikachu as well! How does this feel?" She itched Pikachu's ear in which the Mouse Pokémon squealed in delight. Finding Melody by Ash, Daisy's mind started to run wild. "Oh… my… goodness! Are you two a couple?!" Ash and Melody gawked to the idea.

"What?!" they shrieked. Before they could question, a giddy Daisy embraced the two.

"I can see it! I knew you weren't a match for my sister! I want to see you two be an item!" As she squeezed the two, a raven-haired woman found Daisy and tapped her shoulder.

"Daisy, I need help with something!" she requested. Daisy released her grips and found the woman.

"On my way!" she promised. She turned to Misty with a few cards. "Now, you know where our room is, as well as the adjacent rooms. And your costume's here as well. BYE!" She ran off before joining the staff. This gave Melody a question to ask.

"Costume?" she mentioned. Misty billowed a sigh.

"I'm the mermaid in our show," she murmured. Melody became excited and grabbed Misty's hands like Brock before.

"I wanna see it!" she cheered. This made Misty gulp. "I bet you would look good as a mermaid!" Misty nervously laughed.

"Right…" she shuttered.

"Let's go put our stuff in the rooms and enjoy the festival!" suggested Brock. They headed to the hotel where they hoped to enjoy the stay on King Sea Island.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Mer-Made for Fun

Chapter 4: Mer-Made for Fun

* * *

 _(Melody's Dream)_

 _A castle in the depths of the ocean. Pikachu was in a bubble being carried by Melody in her camisole and her legs were replaced with pink fins. Joining her and several Water Pokémon was Ash. While he had no shirt on, Ash's legs were replaced with blue fins. "There it is, Ash!" pointed Melody. "My other home: Atlantica!" Mermen and mermaids swam out to see the arrival of Ash, Melody and the Pokémon._

" _This place is… unbelievable!" he awed. "Not just this place but, you're the princess of two kingdoms?"_

" _I know, right? I know if Mom wanted to join us, Grandpa would." Sebastian, riding on Flounder, found Ash and Melody._

" _I can't believe all these seafaring creatures you brought to Atlantica!" the yellow fish awed._

" _It's like a paradise of new friends down here in da kingdom!" the crab agreed. "I'm even enjoying dis here giant crab! No way dat chef can cook something dat big without help!" As they entered, Triton came to see Ash and Melody._

" _So, this is who my granddaughter has fallen for," he greeted. "Welcome to Atlantica!" Ash bowed to the king's presence as Triton saw Pikachu in the bubble. "And who's this? A mouse in a bubble?" Triton studied the ordeal. "Maybe I can help it out. Pop the bubble and I'll give it my gift." He brought out a golden trident._

" _Are you sure?" gulped Ash._ _When Triton nodded, Ash took a deep breath. "Pikachu, take a deep breath." Pikachu_ _gulped as he took a_ _deep breath. Melody popped the bubble for Triton to shoot_ _a beam,_ _striking Pikachu. It didn't look like the beam did anything. Unable to hold his breath, Pikachu squeaked in protest… only to find out he could breathe_ _underwater._ _He now squeaked in thanking_ _Triton._

" _Think nothing of it," he scoffed. Flounder took Pikachu on his back to ride around. Melody swam to her grandfather and whispered something to him. "I see. Because of your heroics, I am willing to have you as prince of Atlantica and be the young husband to Princess Melody." Triton extended a hand to Ash who accepted it without hesitation._

" _King Triton, I won't fail," he promised. The handshake established, Melody gave Ash a kiss to signify the love between them._

" _Let me show you around," she offered. With Ash's nod, Melody led Ash and the_ _Pokémon_ _around Atlantica._

* * *

Melody mumbled in her sleep. She didn't bother Misty or May. The sun rose on King Sea Island, and Misty and Azurill yawned with the lighting of their faces. She, along with Ash, their friends and Melody, arrived on the island yesterday for the AquaMon Festival. With Azurill in her arms, Misty exited her room and found her sister, Daisy, with Melody and two other young women: one was a blue-haired who wasn't as tall as Daisy but was taller than the other three, including a pink-haired young lady. "Morning, sis!" the blue-haired greeted.

"Brock's making breakfast right now," Daisy informed. Melody turned to Misty with a smile.

"I'm kinda jealous of you," she laughed. "You've got older siblings that are enjoyable to listen." Misty rose an eyebrow at the unknown princess.

"Certainly got a funny way of showing it," she grumbled. Melody gulped to her own words.

"Can I… clarify?" she wished. "I mean, you have three sisters who look out for you. I don't have a brother or sister." Misty gulped to the confession.

"Relax," the pink-haired in yellow assured. "Ash and Tracey are also only children." Melody sighed to the realization.

"So I shouldn't feel alone… That's good to know, Lily."

"Besides, we haven't felt the same since Misty returned from her reunion with Ash and Brock," Daisy recalled. She slid a photo of Misty holding a cute cream-colored creature with an eggshell as clothing. Its head looked like a spiked crown and it had stubby arms and paw-like feet. Melody awed the tiny creature.

"It's a cutie!" she awed.

"Togepi was before he evolved to Togetic," Misty summarized. "The only Pokémon I had that wasn't a Water Pokémon." This astonished Melody.

"Not a Water Pokémon?" she gasped.

"It's not a surprise, actually," the blue-haired explained. "In fact, there are 17 different types of Pokémon: Normal, Grass, Fire, Water, Bug, Flying, Electric, Ground, Rock, Fighting, Poison, Psychic, Ghost, Ice, Dragon, Steel and Dark." Melody gulped to the tally.

"Just be lucky we're all celebrating one type, though some are dual-types," Lily added before opening a ball. What appeared from light was a white seal with a horn on its head and a long flowing tail like Goldeen. "Take Dewgong for instance. Dewgong is a Water and Ice Pokémon." Dewgong barked to the girls as Melody met it.

"Well, I can't wait to see you swimming in the show," she giggled. Dewgong happily barked. Misty remembered something.

"Another would be my Corsola," she mentioned as she brought a coral reef-like creature out of another ball. It jumped from its stubby feet. "Corsola's a Water and Rock Pokémon." Melody giggled to Corsola's dual-type.

"That's an interesting Pokémon," she said.

"Speaking of rocks, I couldn't help but laugh at your reaction to when I joked about Ash and Melody being a couple," Daisy sneered. Misty jumped at the notice.

* * *

 _(Flashback)_

" _Oh… my… goodness!" shrieked Daisy. "Are you two a couple?!" Ash and Melody gawked to the idea._

" _WHAT!" they shrieked. Giddy, Daisy embraced the two in a hug._

" _I can see it! I knew you weren't a match for my sister! I want to see you two to be an item!" Misty's face read anger._

* * *

"If you ask me, you deeply wanted Ash as your own, right?" teased Daisy. Misty gulped to the teasing.

"Wha-" she gawked.

"Oh, but aren't you right now after Tracey?" the blue-haired recalled.

"Violet!" snapped Misty. Melody now seemed curious to this mentioned bond.

"Wait, are you a siren disguised as a trainer?" she guessed. Misty shifted her eyes to Melody, unsure how to respond. Luckily, Daisy helped with clarification.

"Not quite," she spoke up. "See, Misty traveled with Ash after she didn't know how to watch her bike or know what to do when a Pokémon was in trouble, and her bike got destroyed. She stuck with him until the Silver Conference in Johto where she got her bike back and returned home." While Melody looked confused about the word "bike" by her raising eyebrow, she did understand Misty's ordeal.

"Okay…" she figured. "So, May and Max are traveling with Ash right now but are taking a break to come here."

"Pretty much," Lily shrugged. Misty mulled to the secrets being revealed to the girl.

"Did she really have to be that blunt about it?" she groaned. Pikachu exited from another room and raced to Melody who happily greeted him.

"Good morning, Pikachu," she cooed. Pikachu squeaked happily to the welcome.

"I know you'll come to the show today at the pool stadium," Daisy suggested. "After all, you seem to dig Water Pokémon a lot." Melody giggled to the offer.

"I would want to swim with them rather than watch 'em," she admitted. All four sisters giggled, believing her. May and the boys woke for breakfast before stepping out to see the crowds. The festival was in full swing as plenty of goers enjoyed crafts of paper boats, rides with different Water Pokémon designs including Milotic and a blue sea serpent with a gaping yellow mouth. At one spot, Melody and Max found Misty and Ash signing up for an event.

"I knew you wouldn't resist this," Ash grinned.

"I knew you'd want to try your skills in this as well," Misty countered. Melody came up to see the ordeal.

"So, what are you two writing down?" she asked. A carmine-haired man wearing a red shirt with an eye on his left side came to the princess.

"Hey, hey!" he halted. "Don't crowd." Misty tried to settle the man down.

"It's okay," she eased. "She's curious." The carmine-haired took a deep breath.

"Sorry," he apologized. That's when he presented Melody with a paper.

"The AquaMon Water Pokémon Tournament?" she read the title.

"Indeed," he confirmed. "By 5:00 tonight, those signing up will be in the Festival's finale. In order to enter, a trainer must have at least three Water Pokémon. We'll have numerous Nurse Joys to make sure each competitor's Pokémon is ready for the next match." Ash had more to explain.

"Unfortunately, May and Brock only have one Water Pokémon each," Ash clarified. "Even if one were to handover another, neither one would compete." Misty blinked to Ash's briefing.

"We saw May get Squirtle from Professor Oak," she remembered. "But Brock having a Water Pokémon of his own?"

"Well, he had two, but Ludicolo's back in Pewter City," Ash thought back. "Now all he has is Marshtomp." Misty sighed at Brock's unfortunate occurrence.

"So you two are entering then," Melody concluded. "Who are you bringing in?" Rather than tell Melody, Misty had an idea.

"I know!" she snapped. "We'll show them at the show later!" Ash realized what Misty wanted and handed her four of the balls.

"I'm gonna keep Swellow for an emergency," Ash explained. "I do need an eye in the sky." Misty knew she had to see the Water Pokémon.

"Thanks," she praised. "Now if you'll excuse me, I got a show to prepare for." Misty left, allowing time for Ash and Melody to have fun together. They reached the pier where Peeko flew onto Ash's head.

"Hey, Peeko!" he greeted. That's when Ash remembered something about Peeko. "Right, Wingull and Pelipper could also be in this as well." Melody itched her head.

"You're saying Peeko can fight?" she irked.

"Well, Wingull in particular. Wingull and Pelipper may be Flying Pokémon but they also have Water traits as well."

"Interesting…" The Lapras pod wailed to Ash and Melody as they approached the two by swimming.

"Morning, Lapras!" Hearing Ash, the Lapras happily wailed. Briney appeared on another Lapras.

"Hello, children!" he greeted. Ash and Melody reached Briney while Peeko returned to his owner.

"Mister Briney!" she greeted. Briney leaped down from the Lapras to confront the pair.

"I had a chance to ride these Pokémon as you may have figured out," he pointed out. "Luckily, Pokémon don't need altars or churches to declare marriage." Melody laughed to the ridiculous claim.

"I was told my parents were married on my dad's ship," she claimed.

"Is that so…" Ash saw his Lapras with the Shiny female.

"We got time for one ride," he suggested. Melody nodded before the two boarded the Transport Pokémon. The Lapras swam out to sea with speed. Ash and Melody held on as they dove underwater. They observed more seafaring Pokémon like giant blue whales and tadpoles with swirls on their abdomen. That's when a manta swam up to Melody and the Shiny Lapras. Melody swam to the manta as the Lapras surfaced. With one stroke, the manta splashed out of the water and glided in the air.

"YYAAAAAA-HHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she cheered. The manta's flight last 30 seconds and landed on the water's surface with ease, skimming the surface. The Shiny Lapras reached the manta and Melody, allowing the latter to board. After half-an-hour on the water, Ash and Melody resurfaced as other kids wanted to ride members of the pod.

"That Mantine gave you one heck of a flight!" laughed Briney.

"It did," she gasped. "If that's what it means to go in the sky like that, I want to do it more." Ash laughed as well.

"Make sure you have an extra pair of underclothes on hand when you do," he teased. After drying up, the two and Pikachu reached an arena with a window over the people and Pokémon's heads. Ash and Melody found May, Max, Tracey holding Azurill and Brock who was rubbing his ear. "Don't tell me…" Max nodded to Ash's paining suspicion.

"So, we're here to see Ash's and Misty's Pokémon dancing in the water?" guessed Melody.

"Not only that," Tracey pointed. "But Misty in her role with them." Suddenly, a splash from above. Looking into the tank, they saw Misty's Psyduck flailing in the water. The crowd laughed hysterically to the odd sight.

"Psyduck is one big flake…" Max groaned. A small blue crocodile with red scales sticking out of its back swam in and hoisted Psyduck to dry land. On the surface, Lily scooped up the weird duck.

"Seriously, how are you even registered as a Water Pokémon when you can't swim?" she nagged. Psyduck sighed, disappointed. She got below the glass and found Misty's friends. "Why don't you watch over Psyduck?" Melody took Psyduck from Lily, willing to comfort it.

"Sure…" she shrugged. A giant bivalve was lowered into the water by the Pokémon inside. Once at the bottom of the pool, they scattered.

"LADIES, GENTLEMEN AND POKÉMON!" a voice from the speakers announced. "THE AQUAMON FESTIVAL IS PROUD TO PRESENT THE WATERY BALLET BEST SCENE IN CERULEAN CITY! LET THE SHOW… BEGIN!" The crowd watched as the Water Pokémon gathered around the bivalve. The crocodile reached the bivalve and began dancing the can-can, jumping around and kicking one leg out before the other.

"Totodile, now's not the time to hog the show," Ash sighed. Melody heard Ash, believe that it's his Totodile.

"And I thought I was the most energetic," Melody snickered. The bivalve began to open as Misty emerged from inside. Her hair now loose and not in a ponytail, she wore a seashell bra and green mermaid fins. The Water Pokémon greeted Misty as Melody gawked to her appearance.

' _Misty looks a lot like… Mom!'_ she gasped. The Pokémon swam with grace around Misty. After a minute of swimming, Melody saw Misty running out of air. "She's struggling…"

"It's okay…" Max assured. "The pool's filled with plenty of air pockets like in the rocks. She'll take a deep breath before emerging again." Like Max said, Misty disappeared before reemerging and swimming refreshed.

"I see…" After some more swimming, Misty left the area as the Water Pokémon frolicking freely. She surfaced at the rest of the show played on. She saw how close Melody was to Ash and wasn't exactly happy about it. After the show, evening started to set in and Ash and his friends met up with Misty.

"Just like before without Team Rocket running interference," Brock recalled.

"Don't remind me," Misty sighed. The others gave their compliments, including Melody.

"I wish I was in the pool with fins of my own," she shrugged. "You had a lot of fun with your Staryu and Politoed and Ash's Totodile and Corphish." Misty smiled to the compliment but not too much as she still wasn't happy with the raven-haired.

"I would like to see that," she sneered. "I know you're a pretty good swimmer but I saw that face when that Sharpedo swam towards you."

"Well, excuse me if that Sharpedo that chased me is still fresh in my head," Melody growled. The festival started to close down for the night. On the water, Ash and Melody were back on his Lapras as he and the Shiny Lapras nuzzled together. "One more day on King Sea Island. Tomorrow's that tournament."

"I know, I'm excited for it," Ash urged. "And I heard the field's a pretty good size."

"So I can tell." She looked to the sky and at the moon and marveled at the beauty of it. "I can't help but admire how beautiful the moon is tonight." Ash looked up to the same floating planet above them.

"It looks so big, I wanna reach out and touch it sometimes. Of course, it's like a thousand miles above so…"

"Yeah, we can only dream." That's when Ash had a question for Melody.

"So after the festival, what are your plans? Are you going to Cerulean City with Misty and her sisters?" Melody blinked to the suggestion.

"Nah, I'd rather go home, see Max, mom, dad, and be back living my life. I do wish I could take a Pokémon with me like that Horsea or Luvdisc." Ash understood Melody's wish.

"Maybe I can arrange that for you." Melody gasped to the offer.

"You would?"

"Of course!" Melody smiled before she wrapped her arms around Ash's torso.

"Thanks!" She huffed a blissful sigh. "I wish I could take you, too." Ash smiled back as the Shiny Lapras wailed softly to the two. She nuzzled her face onto both Ash and Melody, causing both to laugh. The two will head back to King Sea Island for Ash's battles. The last day of the AquaMon Festival was upon everyone.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. Rocketing Below Level

_Chapter 5: Rocketing Below Level_

* * *

The last day of the AquaMon Festival had begun. King Sea Island had a sold-out crowd that filled the seats as the main event commenced. Brock, Tracey, May, Max and Melody and the Pokémon got ready to watch battles. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" an announcer called out from the speakers. "WELCOME TO THE LAST DAY OF THE AQUAMON FESTIVAL! FOR THE FINALE, WE HAVE THE KING SEA CONFERENCE!" The audience cheered as trainers emerged from an entrance and lined up on the edge of a giant pool. Two of them were Ash and Misty. "WE HAVE 48 TRAINERS IN A SERIES OF 3-ON-3 BATTLES FEATURING WATER POKÉMON! ONLY THE TOP FOUR WILL BE IN THE LAST TWO BATTLES! ANY NON-WATER POKÉMON ARE DISQUALIFIED. NOW, LET THE TOURNAMENT BEGIN! PLEASE TURN TO THE VIDEO BOARD FOR WHO BATTLES IN THE QUALIFYING ROUND AND WHO GETS AUTOMATIC BYES!" The video board above had the 48 faces on hand.

"I wonder how they'll sort out who battles who?" asked May.

"Daisy told me that the number of Water Pokémon determines your spot in this tournament," Melody relayed as she held Misty's Azurill. "Those who have three or four Pokémon will be battling first and those with five or all six as Water Pokémon get a round off. Kinda unfair if you ask me." To Brock who was holding Pikachu, there may have been a reason.

"Where you are in the tournament tells you how much passion you have as a trainer with Water Pokémon," he believed. "If Ash wanted to use Lapras, he would be among the automatic byes." The pictures became jumbled together and shuffled. Finally, the pictures were settled. Viewing the branching bracket, they found Ash on one side in the first round and Misty on the other side, with a first-round bye. That's when Brock eyed something else: A blue-haired young woman. "Katie! She's in this too!" Max palmed his face.

"Who?" asked Melody.

"She battled Ash in the Evergrand Conference in a full six-on-six battle," Max explained. "I know she has Golduck and Walrein, but what other Water Pokémon could she have?"

"We're about to find out," Tracey pondered, holding Psyduck. The matches began. All sorts of Water Pokémon were on display. They had different attacks aside from typical Water attacks. After a few hours and many battles, it was down to Ash and Misty. Each was down to their last Pokémon: Squirtle and a green frog with a swirl on its abdomen.

"Politoed, use Headbutt!" ordered Misty. Ash gulped to Misty's order as Politoed raced after Squirtle.

"Sorry to butt in on a victory lap but…" he scoffed. "Squirtle, use Hydro Pump!" Squirtle hid his head and limbs in his shell before releasing a flurry of heavy streams out of all his holes. The attack knocked Politoed out of the charge. Misty realized she may have handed the battle, and the title, to Ash.

"Oh no!"

"Now, finish it with Skull Bash!" Squirtle's head and limbs reemerged before flying from above and striking Politoed in the body. The Frog Pokémon plummeted into the pool. When it resurfaced, the swirls in its eyes matched the swirl on the abdomen. A man in orange wove a green flag.

"Politoed is unable to battle!" he announced. "Squirtle wins! The championship goes to Ash of Pallet Town!" Ash jumped and swung his fist in the air in celebration as the crowd roared in excitement.

"AquaMon Champion!" he cheered. Squirtle returned and hugged Ash. Misty crumpled to her knees.

"Return…" she whimpered as she recalled her fallen Pokémon. After a bit of a cleanup, Ash, Misty and another young man stood on pedestals. The Nurse Joy from the Orange Islands stood by the official who had the flags and now holding a tray of medals, a pendant with water inside and some more balls, except they're 1/3 white, light blue and regular blue in a wavy pattern and a light blue oval on top.

"EACH OF OUR MEDALISTS WILL RECEIVE SOME DIVE BALLS TO GO WITH THEIR PLACING MEDALS," the announcer briefed. Joy and the official came to the young carmine-haired man in a blue tank top and denim shorts. "THE BRONZE MEDAL GOES TO MARCUS OF CIANWOOD CITY." Joy hung a bronze medal to look like a fish with flowing fins and a horn, bigger than a Goldeen.

"King Sea Island and the medals are shaped like Seaking?" snickered Ash.

"Not bad, but they may need to work on their subtlety," Misty scoffed. Marcus was also awarded two of the Dive Balls.

"THE SILVER MEDAL GOES TO MISTY OF CERULEAN CITY," the announcer continued. Joy hung the silver Seaking medal on Misty's neck. She also got four Dive Balls to go with her standing. "FINALLY, THE GOLD MEDAL AND THE MYSTIC WATER GOES TO ASH OF PALLET TOWN!" Joy hung both the medal and the pendant, the Mystic Water, on Ash. He also received the last six Dive Balls and cheers from the crowd. Outside, Melody could barely hold her excitement as she hugged Ash. Misty and May growled to the sudden reaction.

"Ash, you… were… amazing!" awed Melody. "You and your team were unstoppable!" Ash chuckled to the cheering.

"Come on, Melody," he hushed. "It's not a big deal." Max nodded to Ash's nonchalant reply.

"Yeah, considering he finished in the Top Eight in both the Silver and Evergrand Conferences and those fields were huge compared to today's lineup." Brock nodded to the claim.

"He's got a point," he agreed. "This is more of a practice tournament for him." Ash shrugged to the praise. Melody grabbed the Mystic Water around Ash's neck.

"This is Mystic Water?" she awed. "It's… pretty. Not as pretty as my locket." She revealed her locket, Ash finally seeing it for the first time.

"That's a pretty cool locket," he awed. Melody smiled to the comment.

"Well, unlike the locket," Max spoke up. "Mystic Water increases power of Water-Type moves like Hydro Pump and Crab Hammer." Melody gulped to the added information.

"So it has a purpose?" she realized. "That's a first for me. Funny enough, seeing you two in the tournament gave me new eyes about Pokémon Battles. They're… really fun to watch." Misty and May smiled to the resolve. They began making their way to the pier to leave King Sea Island and came across people and Pokémon disassembling tents and kiosks. "What are they doing?"

"They're taking down their stands and kiosks," Tracey answered. "The AquaMon Festival's done for the year. No one wants a polluted and littered island, right?" Melody nodded in understanding.

"Good point…" They soon arrived at the docks where Briney and Peeko saw their arrival.

"There you kids are!" he called out. "Another successful AquaMon Festival in the books."

"Yep, and we're ready to head back out to the mainland," Brock briefed. Melody saw the Lapras pod and walked over to them. The Shiny Lapras was the first to nuzzle her face to the princess.

"I guess you Lapras will be on a new journey, right?" she guessed. The Lapras nodded when out of the water came a giant net. It snared not just the pod, but other Water Pokémon and Melody too. Ash saw the snare and ran down the ramp leading to Briney's ferry.

"Melody!" he yelled. Up came a small submarine in the shape of an orange fish, the rope to the net protruding from the mouth.

"Not them again!" growled Tracey. A laugh bellowed from three people.

"Prepare for trouble, there's nothing more to say!" a crimson redhead woman sneered. She wore a white uniform midriff and skirt with black arm-length gloves and knee-high boots. The midriff had a red "R" printed.

"Make it double, we made the catches of the day!" an ice-violet-haired man rhymed. He wore a white uniform with pants instead of skirt and a longer shirt, still having that red "R" printed.

"Now let's beat it, am-scray!" a white cat mewed. All three ducked back in the sub as it turned around and began to drag the Pokémon and Melody out to sea.

"Melody, I'm coming!" yelled Ash.

"HHHEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPPP!" cried Melody. Ash couldn't do anything but turn to Misty for help.

"Misty, I need Gyarados!" he called. Misty nodded to the request.

"You got it!" she agreed. She got another ball ready to toss in the air. "It's a good thing I didn't use you against Ash… Gyarados, come on out!" She tossed the ball up which opened and released a giant blue sea serpent with a large mouth. "Gyarados, follow Ash's lead!" Ash leaped onto Gyarados with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"After the submarine, Gyarados!" Listening, Gyarados gave chase. In the submarine, the cat noticed Melody's locket not tucked in her shirt.

"Check dis out!" he mewed. "Dat twerpette's got some gold on her in dat locket!" The ice-violet-haired and the redhead saw the locket as well while Melody struggled to find space with the trapped Pokémon.

"You're right, Meowth," he gasped. "We may have her by accident but we're better off lucky than good!" The redhead had an idea.

"Prepare to dive down and make sure she doesn't have breathing room, James," she ordered. James and Meowth gawked to the redhead's demand.

"Are you insane!?" snapped James. "You seriously want to drown her!?"

"We may be thieves, but we're not murderers!" argued Meowth. The redhead didn't want any backtalk from her partners.

"I'm getting that locket if it's the last thing I do!" she scowled. "Dive, men!" Begrudgingly, the submarine began to sink. Melody caught a deep breath before being dragged down with the Water Pokémon. Ash gasped in horror, believing they're trying to drown her.

"That's too far, Team Rocket!" he shouted. Grabbing Squirtle's ball, Ash had to act. "Squirtle, Melody needs our help!" He opened the ball and Squirtle emerged. Hearing Ash's plea, Squirtle raced into the water. In the submarine, James and Meowth began to feel pity for the unknown princess.

"Jessie, that's enough!" the ice-violet-haired scorned. "You want to fry in the electric chair?"

"That locket is solid gold!" she defied. "If it means getting off the Boss' back with all those debts, what's one twerpette?" Squirtle looked inside and found Melody struggling to hold her breath. Quickly, he spun himself while using Hydro Pump and smashed the submarine's underbelly. The impact blasted the submarine from the water and into the air. The net also flew out of the water and Melody took a deep breath. The submarine and the net splashed down on the surface. Ash, Pikachu and Gyarados emerged to rescue the Pokémon and Melody.

"So now Team Rocket has resorted to killing?" he snarled. "I guess there's no low for you to go down." Jessie emerged from the submarine.

"Boo hoo, what a twerpish anger you show!" she taunted. "Well, now that you got us, I suppose it's time for the all-too-common Thunderbolt that you always do." Ash didn't move and neither did Pikachu. Jessie continued to taunt the trainer. "Come on, twerp! Give it to us!"

"Stop it, Jessie!" pleaded James.

"We know you want dat locket, but telling da twerp what ta do isn't tinking! " warned Meowth. Ash knelt and muttered something to Gyarados.

"Flamethrower," he whispered. Gyarados listened and breathed a massive flame from its mouth. Melody tucked herself inside and watched as the flame burned through the ropes. More of the flame scorched Team Rocket. The Flamethrower passed but they looked stunned and charred.

"I forgot dat Gyarados can use Flamethrower," Meowth muttered. The Water Pokémon and Melody swam to Gyarados.

"I guess he didn't fall for the bait," James studied.

"But he certainly knows how to burn oil into this fire!" she growled. "Go… Seviper!" She threw a ball out to which it opened. Out came a large black snake with a gold face, a zigzag body and a blade for a tail. It fell into the water but swam right at the group.

"Use Skull Bash!" commanded Ash. From below, Squirtle smashed the snake's head with his, propelling it to the sky.

"Twerp's using our dirty tricks!" gawked Meowth.

"Now, Pikachu… use Thunderbolt!" ordered Ash. Pikachu squeezed his cheeks and emitted a blast of electricity, zapping the snake. It landed on the submarine, swirls in its red eyes.

"Seviper took a dip! Dat's why Pikachu beat him in one shot!" Jessie became enraged.

"That… TEARS IT!" she screamed. She pulled out a bazooka and aimed it at Melody and Ash's Lapras who gave her a place to breathe after being underwater for the while. "That also goes for the twerpette!" The boys gasped to Jessie's use of a weapon.

"Don't do it, Jessie!" yelled James and Meowth.

"That locket is mine!" she roared. However, a heavy stream of water not only shot the bazooka out of Jessie's hands, but ripped it by the barrel, tearing it in two. All turned to see Milotic and it wasn't happy with Team Rocket.

"Milotic…" Melody whispered. Now, Jessie's anger reverted to fear.

"Milotic's mad!" shivered Meowth. Milotic spun its fan-like tail, whirling up a twister and trapping the submarine.

"Milotic's using Twister!" studied Ash. The Twister carried Team Rocket and the submarine into the air. The Lapras spat out blue lightning and nailed the Twister.

"Talk about a cold shoulder!" yelped James. "Those pesky Lapras are using Ice Beam!" Ash decided to end the fiasco.

"Pikachu, finish it with Thunderbolt!" Pikachu leaped into the air again and fired Thunderbolt, nailing the submarine. The explosion sent Team Rocket flying.

"Considering someone wanted to kill for a trinket, we got off pretty lightly," James sighed.

"Ironically, dat Ice Beam was rather refreshing," Meowth mewed. Jessie remained defiant.

"Mark my words, twerpette!" she stammered. "That locket will be mine!" Finally, all three flew out of sight.

"Looks like Team Rocket's hung out to dry!" they cried in unison. Ash's Lapras came to Gyarados where Ash hopped off and onto his old Transport Pokémon as Team Rocket vanished. Melody jumped onto Ash in a hug, grateful for his and the Pokémon's help.

"Did you ever know that you're my hero?" she sang. Without a wasted second, she attacked Ash's face with a flurry of kisses. Back on King Sea Island, Ash's friends saw the affection through binoculars. Misty and May didn't like the scene playing out.

"No fair!" snarled Misty. "Why does she get him while we get nothing?!"

"We've been with Ash longer than she has!" complained May. Brock collapsed to a fetal position with a thud. The girls turned to him.

"Why!?" he whined. "I know Melody's too young for me, but I need love before him!" Tracey continued to look on.

"Well, if it makes you feel better," the smiling Pokémon Watcher observed. "She hasn't touched his lips." Max laughed to the scene.

"Man, he so earned himself that reward," he chuckled. Misty's sisters also saw the kissing barrage and hooted loudly in delight. They cheered so loudly, Milotic retreated a little from their noise.

"Go get him, Melody!" egged on Lily.

"He's available for you!" added Violet.

"Better suited for you than Misty!" teased Daisy. Misty became upset with the eldest sister's mocking while Tracey began sketching the scene.

"Who asked you!?" she snapped. After the kisses, Ash and Melody returned to King Sea Island. Ash's face had a lot of lipstick painted on, though nothing close to his mouth.

"I'm glad you're okay, Melody," Tracey sighed. "I don't know what made Team Rocket want to drown you like that, but at least they're out of your hair." Melody nodded to the notion.

"Thanks for making sure we're okay," she praised. May came forward with news.

"Tell you what, I had such a great time on this island, and seeing the show and the tournament," she listed. "I'm gonna use King Sea Island to practice for my next contest." Misty and Tracey heard May's wish and nodded in unison.

"If it helps, we can stay and show you and your Pokémon some moves," Misty offered. May cheered greatly to the idea.

"You will?" she gasped.

"Of course!" laughed Tracey.

"Thanks!" praised May. "And especially you, Misty! Max may need all the help he can get." Looking back, they saw Brock holding hands with the Orange Island Joy.

"Nurse Joy, maybe now with the AquaMon Festival behind, we can discuss the future that we have," he proposed. "Maybe allow you to mend a bigger burden that my friends keep casting." Max reached up after making it to Brock and snagged his earlobe.

"That's because you can't keep yourself together!" he snapped as he pulled Brock away. The teen whimpered in pain. Misty nervously nodded.

"Not only that, but Misty's sisters wanted to shop around for new outfits and souvenirs before going back to Cerulean," Tracey added.

"Gotcha," Ash acknowledged. "Knowing Team Rocket, they'll be willing to strike back. I'm gonna take Melody back home before that happens." Pikachu supported Ash's decision with a few squeaks.

"Sounds like a smart move," Misty agreed. "Well, Melody… it's nice to meet another marine lover like yourself." She offered a hand to which Melody figured the reason: a handshake.

"Same here," she returned. She shook May's and Tracey's hands as well before going with Ash onto the Lapras couple. The pod swam from King Sea Island and were joined by other Water Pokémon.

"Check it out," awed Ash. Pikachu gulped to seeing a collection of different Pokémon like red octopuses with tube-shaped mouths, Mantines, Goldeens, Seakings, horned seals and a giant blue whale. "Looks like we're getting a parade of different Water Pokémon."

"If so, this is incredible!" Suddenly, a yellow Luvdisc emerged and tackled Melody, who fell to Ash. Luckily, he was aware enough to catch her and keep her from falling in.

"Gotcha!" Recovering, Melody turned to Ash.

"Thanks." Both humans and Pikachu saw the yellow Luvdisc. Quickly, Melody began to compare the Rendezvous Pokémon with Lapras. "Could this be a Shiny Luvdisc?"

"I think so," he guessed. Luvdisc chirped to Melody to which Pikachu began to squeak back. Listening to the two Pokémon, she had an idea of what they're saying.

"I think this Luvdisc wants to be with me." Ash chuckled to the belief.

"That's awesome!" However, Melody had a problem.

"But, how can I claim you? I don't have-" Ash snapped his fingers.

"You can borrow one of my Dive Balls." Melody gasped to the offer.

"Are you sure?" Answering Melody, Ash nodded as he presented one of his Dive Balls.

"They work great for Water Pokémon." Melody took one and pressed the button, allowing it to grow. She tapped Luvdisc who became a light and entered the ball that opened. It wriggled around, having Ash help in hanging onto it. Finally, it stopped with a chime. That sound told Ash the news Melody would like to hear. "Congratulations, Melody! You caught a Luvdisc!" Melody's eyes widened as she now realized that she held her first Pokémon. Milotic came back to the two and wailed to the news.

"We'll be great friends with everyone back home." When Melody looked up, she found the cave by the reefs she entered from. "There!" Ash blinked to where Melody pointed to.

"That cave?"

"Tunnel, actually." Ash blinked again. The Lapras reached the cave where Melody emerged from with Horsea. That's when she shed her clothes, reverting back to her camisole and pantalettes. "Trust me… it's a little easier to believe like this." Ash wasn't sure what to say.

"Okay…" As he began to write a note, Melody turned to the Lapras.

"I'm afraid this may be the last time I see you. I wish for you all to have a safe journey." The Lapras wailed sadly to the last word. One nuzzled to Melody which she returned a kiss to the snout. Ash's Lapras gave Melody a lick to the face. Milotic faced Melody's as well. "Milotic… Meeting you gave me a lot to think about going home." Milotic craned its head to Melody where they connected foreheads. "Thank you… for everything." After that, the Water Pokémon left.

"Ready?" Melody nodded to Ash's word. They entered the cave. On the other side, Ash is going to learn a secret about Melody, one that could change everything he knew…

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. Royal Family Reunion

_Chapter 6: Royal Family Reunion_

* * *

The palace that Melody came from was in a panic. Outside of the palace, a redhead woman in a light blue shirt over a blue bodice and blue skirt found Eric, Grimsby, Louis and a stout and somewhat old raven-haired woman with concern. "Anything?!" she asked.

"I'm sorry, my queen!" replied Grimsby. The queen grimaced in fear.

"She's been gone for three days now! Melody couldn't have gone far!" Melody's grandfather swam up to see the commotion.

"Ariel!" he called. Ariel turned to the white-haired man with the crown. Sebastian, Flounder, Scuttle, Tip and a brown walrus swam up.

"Father!" she cried. "Have you seen Melody?" Ariel's father shook his head. Ariel couldn't believe what's happened. She feared for Melody.

"I have no clue as to what happened to my granddaughter," he sadly expressed.

"It's okay, King Triton," Eric eased. "Anything you can tell us that can help?" Triton turned to the animals where the walrus freaked out and swam away.

"Dash, get back here!" ordered Tip. Triton turned back to Eric and Ariel.

"All they said was that Melody was returning a seahorse back home. I know she cares about our friends in the sea, but…" Max whimpered to losing Melody. Ariel knelt to Max and hugged him.

"I know, Max," she expressed. "I should've kept a better eye on her as well." More whimpers from Max was heard before he sensed something. Noting the change, Eric suspected something.

"Max?" Not moving anything but his nose, Max scented something in the air. Before they could figure out the ordeal, Max panted happily.

"Could it be?" wondered Louis. Before they could guess, Max galloped away.

"After the mutt!" ordered Grimsby. All raced after Max as Ash, Pikachu and Melody exited from the cavern. Melody helped Ash onto the sandy beach.

"Thanks!" he praised. Pikachu reached dry land himself before shaking out the water.

"Okay, we're nearby," Melody announced. Ash couldn't wait to see Melody's family.

"We're that close?"

"Yeah, it's around the corner. You'll love it." That's when Melody stopped. Ash looked to her in concern. Melody seemed hesitant.

"Is something wrong?" Melody closed her eyes and nodded before turning to Ash.

"Let's stop for a second, I need to clear the air about myself." Ash didn't think it was a big deal.

"Okay…" Pikachu wanted to know about Melody as well.

"I didn't want Misty, Tracey, May, Max or Brock to know about this… they'd be jealous about who I was in real life. See… the truth is…" Her hesitation was apparent as Max found Melody and rushed to her. "I'm really a- AAHH!" Max pounced onto her and began licking Melody's face. The princess got one huge tongue bath. "MAX! That tickles! I'm glad to see you again!" The name of the sheepdog gave Ash clarity to who was who. The rest soon arrived to see Melody again after being away for three days.

"Melody!" they cheered. Max got off Melody as Ariel, Eric and Grimsby embraced the lost heir. Ariel hugged Melody tightly.

"Oh, Melody!" she cried. "I thought I wasn't gonna see you again!"

"I'm sorry, Mom!" apologized Melody. Ash and Pikachu watched on in awe. Triton reemerged to see the family reunion.

"Melody!" he called. Melody heard her name and saw the king.

"Grandpa!" she greeted. Ash and Pikachu gawked to the identity.

"That big guy is Melody's grandfather?" he studied. Max heard Ash and turned to him as Melody was ready to greet her new friends.

"I'm glad to be back home," she praised. "Let me introduce you to my new friends…" Before she could start, Max tackled Ash, knocking his cap off his head, and the slobber storm commenced.

"AAHHH!" he cried. All turned to seeing Ash become Max's new friend. "MAX! STOP! THAT TICKLES!" Ash tried to squirm his way free but Max was relentless. He wouldn't stop for a second before Eric pried him.

"Okay, Max!" he urged. "That's not how we treat our guests." Max wanted more of Ash and Grimsby aided in settling the sheepdog. Melody palmed her face in humiliation.

"Oh no…" she groaned.

"Those are some unique garments," Ariel pointed out as Eric helped the trainer to his feet.

"Perhaps but I'm more curious to the rodent," the elder woman suggested. Pikachu looked back at everyone while Ariel approached Ash with her daughter by her side.

"Anyway, this is Ash," Melody introduced. "He's the one who helped me back home."

"I see," Ariel understood. Before Ash could greet himself, Ariel gripped him in a massive hug. "You don't know how grateful we are that you brought our princess home." She then gave Ash a kiss to the cheek. Ash blushed wildly to the kiss. Eric knelt to Pikachu before picking him off the sand.

"Who might this be?" he asked.

"Ash's Pokémon, Pikachu," Melody answered. "He's cute but he's also got some lightning in his cheeks." Triton overheard Melody's description and leaned down to meet the mouse.

"Lightning, you say?" he repeated. "Do you mind showing me? Don't worry, I can take a little bit." The Pokémon hesitated but squeezed out a Thunderbolt. The attack found the trident and absorbed the lightning. Ash studied Triton as Pikachu leaped down and into the sea.

"Is he some sort of mer… person?" he asked.

"That's my father, a merman," Ariel corrected. "And king of Atlantica." Ash gawked at Triton's connection to Ariel.

"You're a mermaid!?" Ariel giggled to Ash's gawking reaction. Inside the palace, Ash got to meet the rest of the people.

"Our palace has become our home since we've wed and since the demise of the sea witch Ursula," Eric explained. "Now, the border between humans and merfolk is gone, and Melody is the creation of both worlds."

"I see…" Ash awed. Pikachu received a comforting pet from Ariel. "So you two control the surface while King Triton has the sea to watch."

"Well, at least this country," Ariel corrected once more. Ash turned to Melody with astonishment.

"So, what you were trying to say on the beach was that you're really a princess?" he guessed. Melody's smile answered his guess.

"I am," she giggled. "Surprised?"

"Well, how could I not be? I mean, why didn't you tell us in the first place?"

"Would you believe someone dressed in this is a princess if I told you from the start?" Ash was ready with a reply but seeing her in the undergarments again prompted him to realize the ordeal.

"Point taken…" Ariel decided to let her daughter stay with Ash.

"Melody, would you like to show Ash around the castle?" she requested. Melody awed the request.

"Sure thing!" she replied. "Come on, Ash!" Listening, Ash followed the princess out of the room as Louis came in.

"Zat boy is interesting to say the least," he awed.

"Ash is," Eric agreed. "And Grimsby already has an event set up for Ash's return of our daughter." Louis became overjoyed to learn about the news.

"You don't mean…" he guessed. He turned to Grimsby and nodded. This gave Louis an idea. "Your majesty, I will not fail you!" Louis retreated to the kitchen. Grimsby turned to the elder maid.

"Carlotta, I suggest we give young Master Ash and Master Pikachu a decent makeover," he suggested. Pikachu blinked to Grimsby's offer.

"Of course!" she agreed. Now, Pikachu became concerned.

"Don't worry," Ariel assured. "I know Grimsby and Carlotta will give you some great treatment." Reluctant, Pikachu hopped off and Carlotta collected him as soon as he reached her skirt. Grimsby reached Ash and Melody as they finished the tour.

"Master Ash, it seems as though you and Princess Melody have finished the tour," Grimsby announced.

"We did," Melody confirmed.

"Very well. This way. Master Pikachu is waiting for you as well." Ash looked to Melody before going with Grimsby where they got a bath with Carlotta helpling with cleanup. After the bath, the two worked on Ash's hair and clothes. Carlotta even helped pick something for Pikachu. In the dining hall, Louis served dinner to the royal family.

"These creatures that you saw over in Ash's world are ones I wanna see," Ariel awed. "Seaking, Lapras, the Milotic… exotic enough as it is."

"And I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it if Ash and his Pokémon didn't save me from a hungry shark- I mean, Sharp… edo, I think that was called, and kept me from drowning after Team Rocket." Melody's parents sighed in relief.

"Well, while we wished to have known where you took off and worried us all to death," Ariel warned. "At least we know you had a great time in that world and met with a nice young man."

"And he saved you more times than I saved your mom," Eric teased. Ariel cleared her throat.

"I believe that was you paying me back for you nearly drowning when we first met," she reminded. Melody giggled to the parent's banter. Grimsby entered and stood by the door, overhearing the talk.

"If I may continue with what's to come, and I do apologize for altering topics," he spoke up.

"That's quite all right, Grimsby," Eric excused. "I know you have something important on your mind."

"Thank you, your highness. We'll prepare a ball in a few days in lieu of Princess Melody's return." Ariel and Eric nodded to the expectation.

"Everyone will want to see Melody after her unexpected departure." Unknowing, Ash heard Grimsby's words from behind.

"A ball?" he repeated. Grimsby slightly chuckled.

"You may step forward," he allowed. Ash stepped forward with a new look: his hair had been slicked back and into a small ponytail. He now wore the same wardrobe as Eric, only his button-down shirt was black. Pikachu had a similar button-down shirt, white in color. Eric bobbed a nod and flicked up a thumb.

"Not too shabby," he complimented.

"So, there's a way to make you rather handsome and dashing," Ariel joked. "And Pikachu actually looks adorable with clothes on." Ash and Pikachu blushed but smiled to Ariel's approval. Eric turned to Melody who seemed in a trance. Captivated in awe, she couldn't turn her head away from Ash. Ariel and Eric saw the expression. However, they refused to say a word. They smiled to each other, a slight snicker as well. Ash and Pikachu joined the dinner table.

"So, Grimsby," Ash called. "This ball you brought up?"

"Yes, Master Ash," Grimsby confirmed. "This ball is about Princess Melody's safe return. Since this could not be done without your help, you are cordially invited yourself." Ash seemed welcomed to be in the ball. Continuing on Louis' dinner, Ash wanted to know about Melody's family.

"So how did you two come together?" he asked.

"Well, I was a mermaid who wanted a little adventure and I saw a ship overhead," Ariel explained. "I swam up to the ship and saw my future husband… but not before Max met me first. If not for being a mermaid, I would've worn his slobber for a long time."

"Hey, just goes to show that Max is a good judge of character," Eric teased. "Even for an overenthusiastic sheepdog." Ash, Melody and Pikachu laughed.

"So I'm learning," Ash chuckled.

"Anyway, my father was against the idea," she confessed. "I was young and naive at the time so I had no idea at the time about my mother's fate. I learned that pirates had crushed her when she tried to protect my sister, Attina, and the music box that he threw away after the incident…" Ash and Pikachu gulped to Ariel's mother's fate.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"I know. Still, my heart for Eric outweighed my father's hatred for humans. That's when I sought Ursula for help. She casted a spell that would turn me human for three days and if we kissed, I would be a human forever. For that, I lost my voice. Little did I know that Ursula was after my father's trident."

"The same thing that absorbed Pikachu's Thunderbolt?"

"Yep. It's a powerful weapon in his disposal. She rose to power and attacked everyone, even my sisters."

"Yeah, my aunts are mermaids as well," Melody pointed out. "I'm sure Grandfather will bring them up." Ariel continued on with her story.

"Ursula didn't stay dominant for long. Eric used the damaged ship and pierced the sea witch, killing her."

"After her death," Eric added. "King Triton decided to give Ariel permanent human legs and we married little after that. About a year later, Melody came into our life." Ash and Pikachu awed the story told.

"I'm glad everything worked out," Ash sighed. That's when Ariel had an offer.

"Since this ball will be in a few days, you can stay here," Ariel suggested.

"And I can show you around the kingdom before we have a picnic," Melody added. "There's a meadow we can have it on." Ash didn't hesitate with an answer.

"Sure!" he agreed. Melody smiled to the accepting while her mind traveled to overdrive.

' _Oh my goodness!'_ she gasped inside. _'Ash will be near me for the few days he'll stay! WOW! I can barely hold in my excitement!'_ The sun had long set and Grimsby guided Ash and Pikachu to a guest bedroom.

"I never thought that Melody's a princess, Pikachu," he huffed. "Let alone that she's part-mermaid." Pikachu understood Ash's abrupt realization. "Now a picnic with her, it feels like I've been invited on a da-" He froze which got Pikachu concerned again. He squeaked to alert him. "Pikachu, do you know what I'm doing tomorrow? It's not a day around the kingdom with Melody… I'm going on a date!" Pikachu's ears perked to this. "It's gonna be my first date! And it's with a princess!" Pikachu squeaked loudly to get his attention. Ash realized losing it like he was wouldn't help matters. "You're right, Pikachu… I'm never like that. I think we'll have a great time, buddy." Pikachu sighed in agreement. "Let's hit the sack. We got a big day tomorrow." Pikachu agreed and both turned in for the night. A little later, the door to their darkened room creaked open. Melody sneaked into the guest bedroom and tiptoed to Ash's side in bed as he slept. She saw and admired his sleeping face, something she didn't see while in the Pokémon World. As quiet as possible as she caressed his face, Melody began to sing.

 _ **"What would I give to live where you are?  
What would I pay to stay here beside you?  
What would I do to see you smiling at me?**_

 _ **Where would we walk?**_  
 _ **Where would we run?**_  
 _ **If we could stay all day in the sun?**_  
 _ **Just you and me, and I could be part of your world."**_

Her song done, Melody continued to look over Ash's face. She wanted to say something but her heart didn't feel ready. _'_ _Oh, Ash,'_ she thought. _'_ _I wish I had the same courage that you show every time I've seen you. I want to tell you my feelings. I want to come clean and tell you the love I have. But I guess…'_ That's when she leaned down and gave Ash a heartfelt, passionate kiss to the lips. She kept the lips glued for a solid minute. She released her lock on him, a little surprised he slept through the kiss. "Goodnight, my prince. I love you." She gave Ash one more kiss, a softer peck, to the forehead. She now turned to Pikachu and gave him a little petting to the head. Pikachu softly squealed in delight. It was the only noise made as Melody quietly walked out of the room. She felt proud of her tender moment.

"I'm surprised I didn't attempt that when I was human from Ursula," Ariel teased. Melody jumped at her mother's surprise.

"Ma- Mom!" she gawked. "Dad!" Eric shushed Melody, trying to keep their guest asleep.

"We thought you'd be doing a little snooping," Eric snickered. "Never thought the one who brought you home would be the reward." The teasing made Melody feel miserable.

"Great…" she mulled. The parents giggled.

"Don't worry," Ariel eased. "We've been seeing how you reacted to Ash since you two returned. I'd like to see what else Ash brought… or should I say 'your prince'?" The mother's repeat of the daughter's words turned Melody's face beet red.

"Well, we should get some sleep as well," Eric suggested. Ariel saw an opportunity.

"Before that," she spoke up. Ariel walked into the room and saw Ash's face and petted his hair. _'_ _My goodness… I see why.'_ She leaned down and kissed Ash on the cheek. Then she kissed Pikachu on the forehead as well. Eric smiled to the act.

' _Mom accepts him?'_ she gasped.

"Now, to bed, dear," Eric told. Melody nodded. In her room, she locked her door. She then summoned her Shiny Luvdisc by opening her Dive Ball.

"Harmony, welcome to my home," she greeted. Her Luvdisc, Harmony, awed the new home. "Like it? Or the name I just gave you?" Harmony chirped in favor. Suddenly…

"Wait a moment, Melody!" sounded Sebastian. Flying on Scuttle, Sebastian entered and saw the new creature. "Dat can't be something you brought back, is it?"

"Yeah, Sebastian! It's a Luvdisc I named Harmony." Sebastian and Scuttle looked baffled by its appearance.

"Dat ting's a fish!? Where's its gills!? How can it float in da air!? What kind of Morgana-style sorcery is dis!?"

"Oh, relax! Harmony wanted to come home with me and Ash said I can." Scuttle seemed intrigued by Harmony's trip.

"I would've preferred the seahorse that came by before," the seagull voiced his opinion. "I wouldn't mind that as dinner." Harmony didn't like how Scuttle twirled his tongue and blew out a mix of snow and wind. Sebastian ducked out but Scuttle became frozen with his wings spread.

"And I tought you'd keep your cool before we checked on her," Sebastian nagged. Melody looked to Harmony and remembered the tournament.

"That was Icy Wind," she recalled. "That was nice, Harmony. Scuttle doesn't know any better." Sebastian sighed to the exchange.

"Now, who might be dat human who brought you back?" he asked.

"Ash? Well, you'll have to see him for yourself. Maybe after our picnic in the meadows." Sebastian groaned from her secret.

"Very well! I'll leave you to sleep and I'll see dis boy when you bring him to da beach! Let's go, birdbrain!" Scuttle broke out of his frozen prison before plucking Sebastian and flying off. Ash has a long day ahead. He doesn't know of the love given to him… or his Pokémon.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. Meadow Yello

_Chapter 7:Meadow Yello_

* * *

The new day at the palace. Ash and Pikachu woke up with barely any effort. They seemed fully awake and looked in awe. "Wow," he hummed. "What happened?" Pikachu leaped off the bed and onto the dresser before leaping back. Studying the distance, he was shocked. "You feel it too, Pikachu?" The mouse squeaked in astonishment. "I know. I've never been so refreshed in my life." Pikachu sensed a connection. Without being able to communicate, they simply got out of bed and found the royal family having tea and bread. Melody wore a yellow gown with a skirt down to her knees.

"Good morning, Ash, Pikachu," Ariel greeted them. Pikachu greeted them with some squeaks.

"Good morning to everyone, too," Ash giggled. "What a dream…" Ariel and Melody began to wonder.

"You had a dream?" repeated Melody. "What was it?" Ash needed a few seconds to recall.

"I was lying on a field when I heard an angel's singing," he recalled. "All I could recall is… being a part of her world." Pikachu gasped to Ash's recollection. Ash heard the frantic squeaks. "You had it too?" Pikachu's head flopped up and down. Ariel, Eric and Melody, who visited Ash's room last night, quietly chuckled and smiled. "Then, when we woke up, we felt… more energized than we've ever been. It's hard to describe but we feel refreshed and ready to challenge anyone-" Hearing the girls laughing, trying their darnedest to hold it in, Ash and Pikachu became confused. "What's up?" Ariel slowed her laugh.

"Don't worry about it," Eric shrugged. Through her laugh, Melody's face turned bright red.

' _Me?'_ she questioned in her head. _'An angel? I love it.'_ After breakfast, Ash, Melody and Pikachu stepped outside of the palace where Carlotta and Grimsby spotted the two youngsters and Mouse Pokémon with a pair of horses: a brown and reddish-orange.

"Morning, Grimsby!" addressed Ash. "Morning, Carlotta!"

"Top of the morning, young Ash!" returned Carlotta. "Excited for today?" She had a straw-woven basket with handles.

"We are," Melody answered. Pikachu added a confirming squeak.

"That's great," Grimsby acknowledged. "By the way, Chef Louis organized a picnic lunch for you, as well as a pair of horses you can ride through the town on." Melody took the basket from Carlotta while bowing. She opened to find croissants, fruit, sandwiches, mussels, shrimp, lemon, butter and a wine bottle. This rose an eyebrow from the princess.

"Is this wine?" she asked.

"Oh no," Carlotta replied. "Chef Louis found and cleaned out the empty bottle before filling it with cranberry-pomegranate juice. He knows better than to give children alcohol." The three sighed in relief, knowing that they can't get drunk. Ariel and Eric watched from the bedroom balcony as Melody and Pikachu boarded the reddish-orange horse and Ash jumped on the brown steed. They rode their steeds through a small town that gathered attention from the people.

"Hey, isn't that the young man who returned Princess Melody?" asked a bald man.

"I believe it is!" a brunette man thought. "I'm a little more curious to that yellow mouse on the princess' shoulder. Did he lend that rodent to her?"

"Must have," an auburn-haired man guessed. "I also heard that he and that rodent are staying at the palace. Lucky boy. I guess that's what you get for bringing the princess back home." The women who over heard the men had their judgment on Ash.

"I wouldn't be so bitter about it," a middle-aged, graying woman scoffed. "He seems like a very nice boy to me."

"He looks like one indeed," a young blond woman awed. "Apart from his eyes and the cute zigzags under his eyes, he's got the look of a young Prince Eric."

"And I'd rather have that mouse over the king's sheepdog," a raven-haired woman cooed. "It's a darling to have around!" Pikachu turned to the voices, catching Melody's attention.

"They all wanted to see who I brought home," she assured. Pikachu seemed uneasy with the attention. Ash looked to the crowd where some girls fell for Ash at first sight.

"Ooooooohhhhhh!" a white-haired girl cooed. "He's soooo handsome!" Three other girls would agree.

"Handsome enough to be a prince!" a carmine-haired girl added. "I wanna marry him!"

"I wish I was riding with that stallion on that stallion!" a blond girl hummed. "He doesn't need to be with the princess!"

"But that mouse is so cute!" a chestnut brunette girl squealed. "I wanna give it a big hug!" Ash shuttered to the swooned girls.

"If only they knew what I had to deal with before bringing Melody back," he muttered to himself. His horse lowly neighed to the comments, making Ash pet its mane. "I guess you go through this yourself, huh?" The horse snorted to reply. After about half an hour, Ash, Melody and Pikachu sat on a blanket in the meadow and enjoying the cranberry-pomegranate juice while having the sandwiches.

"Seeing how close you two are, it's amazing that you had some disagreements early on," Melody gulped.

"It was our first day as Pokémon and Trainer teamwork," Ash explained. "We weren't on the same page until Pikachu knew what I saw in him and he saw in me." Pikachu squeaked to confirm the reasoning.

"That's great to know you two have an unbreakable bond. Now, what did you say you two saw fly over you?"

"Pikachu and I didn't know at the time, but after entering Ecruteak City, we learned that it's a legendary Pokémon known as Ho-oh. It was in this gold glow and looked absolutely majestic." That made Melody awe.

"Now I wish I saw something like that. Can you tell me another story?"

"I can. What do you want me to talk about?" Melody's mind coursed through options before she snapped her fingers.

"How about Lapras? The two of you were pretty close." Ash smiled to the Pokémon choice.

"I can do that. It started after Misty, myself and the Pokémon crashed on an island after being kidnapped by Team Rocket."

"Uh oh…" Before Ash could start the scene…

"Storytelling today?" asked Eric. Ash, Melody and Pikachu turned to see Eric helping Ariel off a white horse before it strut to the other horses to trot around. They brought their own picnic basket.

"Eric?" gawked Ash. "Ariel?"

"Sorry to come on short notice," Ariel apologized. "But can you blame us as parents for wanting to make sure our daughter's okay?" Ash giggled to Ariel's point.

"Guess not," he answered. "I don't mind extra company like this."

"Ash was about to explain how he and Lapras knew each other," Melody informed. "It was one of his Pokémon that he had and rode on. He didn't bring it along since now he's in love." Ash sighed to Melody's lack of subtlety.

"Right to the point," he mulled. Ariel and Eric seemed interested to hear of the story as Ash brought out a photo of himself and Lapras. Ash wore an open blue jacket over a black shirt.

"That's Lapras," he pointed out. "That's what he looked like when I watched over him." Eric seemed in awe at the size.

"Really?" he studied. Ariel looked at the photo as well.

"A seafaring dinosaur?" she guessed. "That's a new one. So, what's the story about? I wanna know." Ash didn't mind the extra audience.

"Sure thing," Ash accepted. All sat down to where Ash continued his story. "Anyway, Misty and I, along with our Pokémon escaped from Team Rocket and found ourselves on an island when we were just going back home. I had to get a Pokéball called the GS Ball from Professor Ivy." Melody recalled Ivy after first arriving in Ash's World.

"She was a nice lady," she thought back. "Surprised about her age." Ash shrugged off Melody's tease.

"Anyway, we were on our way to contact home when we found three trainers abusing a Lapras that washed ashore. I couldn't stand on the sideline and watch these three hurt Lapras. Pikachu sensed what we needed to do and stood up. Those three sent out a Beedrill, a Hitmochan and a Spearow. I knew I could take those three with Pikachu as my partner… and so did Tracey who entered the scene. He studied all of our Pokémon and their problems while Pikachu's in great shape. He was right as I beat all three of those guys with Pikachu's Thunderbolt. He got a vessel to transport Lapras who was now afraid of humans." Eric and the girls realized the reason.

"Lapras looks big but I can tell from this picture that he's docile," he surveyed.

"That wouldn't be all," Ash detailed. "That Lapras is only a baby." Ariel and Melody gasped to the news.

"This is… an infant?" figured Ariel. Recalling her visit, Melody determined the reason.

"That means the Lapras who we met is fully grown?" she guessed.

"That's right," Ash confirmed.

"I see, now," Eric nodded. "There's more, right?"

"There is. Tracey figured out that a school of Lapras were involved with a huge storm and the one we found got spooked from it. We made it our mission to return Lapras back to his school. Before we could do that, we had to gain its trust. That's when Team Rocket attacked and took Lapras. I gave chase and managed to rescue Lapras and made a promise to return him to his school which he understood. After traveling the Orange Islands, we found the school so we thought our journey together was over… but the Lapras were reluctant to accept one of their own back." The queen and princess gulped to the new chapter.

"Is it because you were helping it?" assumed Ariel.

"It wasn't until we learned that poachers dressed as pirates were attacking the school," Ash continued.

"They must be after the shells on Lapras' backs," Eric observed.

"Well, whatever the reason, we managed to stop the poachers and I released Lapras back to his school, which his mom was a part of," Ash added. "I let him go back to his family. I thought it would be the last I saw of him… until a long time later when we reunited in Johto. I didn't recognize him at first since he grew up and matured." Melody awed the time it took for the two to reunite.

"You're kidding!" she gasped.

"It was by coincidence that the school were on their migration route," Ash informed.

"So that they have babies for when their time is done," Eric believed. Ash and Melody irked to Eric's guess.

"Dad…" she whined.

"Well, when we reunited, I learned that he became the new leader of the school," Ash added. "I couldn't have been more proud of Lapras and I was glad to hear about his success… but boy was I… or in this case, WE were in for a surprise when he found us the morning after Melody arrived in my world." Melody remembered seeing Lapras the first time.

"Yeah, when we discovered he found love!" she recalled. Ariel sniffed as she teared up at the story.

"That was a great story and knowing how much you cared for this Lapras," she whimpered. She came to Ash and hugged him before Melody joined. Eric watched and smiled, not concerned with his wife and daughter's affection to Ash. Pikachu napped on the king's lap. That's when Ariel gave Ash a soft, tender kiss to his cheek. The food eaten, Eric gathered the horses before helping his beloved onto hers. Pikachu joined Ariel for the ride to the palace.

"Dad, I'm gonna ride back with Ash," Melody wished.

"Okay, dear," Eric accepted. Ash boarded the brown horse before helping Melody up. As they rode back to the palace, Melody's head laid onto Ash chest. Ash felt the weight and looked down.

"You okay?" he asked. Melody expressed a blissful sigh from the warmth his chest emitted.

"I haven't felt this kind of warmth since Dad held me when I was little," she hummed. "Never felt as safe as when you saved me from Team Rocket." Ash's cheeks became red, blushing to her comparison. She began falling asleep from the ride. "So… comfortable…" She reached up and kissed the reddest part of Ash's cheek. They arrived back at the palace where Melody reached her room and brought out an easel. Ash and Pikachu walked on the beach, his hair blowing in the sea breeze.

"She had a fun time today, Pikachu," he admitted. Pikachu agreed with some squeaks when he sensed something coming from the sea. Peering out from the water, Flounder spotted Ash and Pikachu. "What's that?" Flounder revealed himself to the two.

"I heard King Triton met you," he said. Ash and Pikachu gulped to Flounder's ability to talk.

"Triton, the big merman with golden trident?"

"That's him." Ash nodded to the briefing.

"Almost immediately when I brought Melody back." Flounder sighed in relief.

"So, it's true. We've been horribly worried about her when she disappeared with that giant seahorse." Ash remembered when Melody arrived and she held Horsea while Sharpedo chased the two.

"That Horsea got separated from its family and Melody returned it to its parent Seadra and Kingdra." The names made Flounder blink.

"I'm… totally confused." He wasn't the only seafaring creature that wasn't clued in.

"Don't tink you're de only one, Flounder!" garbled Sebastian. "Someting tells moi dat giant seahorse is someting you know!" Ash and Pikachu looked to see the crab pointing a pincer at him.

"Okay, seriously, how many other creatures know how to talk?" questioned Ash.

"Don't change da subject, mon!" snapped Sebastian. Tip, Dash and Scuttle also came onto the scene. "Maybe you'd like ta show us more of dese creatures from another world like dat mouse." Ash smiled to the request.

"You got it!" he accepted as he tossed five Pokéballs up. They opened and out came Squirtle, Kingler, Totodile, a red crayfish and a large black swallow. The crayfish had large pincers and Sebastian dashed and hid behind Flounder. The Pokémon looked on in confusion.

"A giant king crab and a blue turtle?" pointed Tip. "Now I've seen everything." Totodile entered the ocean and looked to the cowering crab. Sebastian screamed before swimming further out into the ocean.

"Wait for me, Sebastian!" yelled Dash. They were out of sight in a few seconds. They left everyone a little befuddled. That's when they swam back.

"His majesty!" yelled Sebastian. "His majesty's coming!" They reached shore when Triton emerged. Rising from the depths, Triton saw the new creatures which the crayfish looked up, not intimidated.

"Young Ash," the king greeted. "I see that you have some interesting creatures with you." Ash knelt to his Water Pokémon.

"Pikachu is just one of my Pokémon, your highness," he pointed out. "I can only have six Pokémon at a time." Triton looked skeptical about Ash's admittance.

"A law in your land?"

"Yeah, I can't help but obey it." Triton gazed among the Pokémon. "Anyway, my Water Pokémon I have is Squirtle, Totodile, Kingler and Corphish!" The named Pokémon greeted Triton. The king had an idea.

"When Melody disappeared after our struggle against Ursula's sister, Morgana, my other daughters were as worried as Ariel and Eric, and those within the palace." Ash's eyes opened wide to Triton's additions in his family.

"Ariel's sisters?"

"Indeed, young one. Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella and Alana. When they heard that you returned Melody, they wanted to meet you. I advised them that I'd bring his creatures since they would know the master who returned their niece to us." Ash laughed to the idea.

"If that's what you want, of course!" Sebastian stayed behind Tip as Corphish and Kingler wondered about the feared crab. Kingler croaked about making sure he'd be okay with the two.

"Why do dese crabs have ta be bigger dan me?" cried the little crab.

"They're trained warriors, Sebastian," Triton answered. "I'll show them around Atlantica and I may see you later."

"Alright, King," Ash accepted. Meanwhile, Ariel entered Melody's room to see a painting nearly done.

"Hey, sweetie!" she greeted. Melody turned to Ariel a little shocked.

"Mom!" she gasped. Ariel saw what her daughter painted: Milotic emerging from the water.

"Is that another Pokémon?"

"Yeah, it's Milotic! I swam with it the morning after I vanished. Isn't it-"

"Majestic? I can tell!" That's when Ariel had an idea. "Can I… borrow it for a little while?" Melody seemed startled from the request.

"Sure… I'm almost done with it anyway."

"Fantastic." Ariel took the painting and scampered out of the room to find Carlotta nearby. "Carlotta, can you help me with something?"

"Of course, my queen," Carlotta agreed. Ariel showed Carlotta the painting. Carlotta awed the portrait. "My goodness…"

"Think you can make a dress similar to this?" Carlotta sensed what Ariel wanted.

"Your highness, it can be done!"

"Thank you!" Carlotta headed out as Melody and Harmony watched on.

"A Milotic dress?" she guessed. "That would be so sweet to wear, even Ash will enjoy it." Harmony wailed a little to the idea. With the ball upcoming, Ash and Pikachu will expect a large crowd. How will he enjoy the ball and what Melody's going to wear?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	8. Royally Discovered

_Chapter 8: Royally Discovered_

* * *

Ash woke up for the sun in the morning but before having breakfast, he journeyed to the beach near the palace. Reaching, he found Sebastian on a rock protruding from the water. "Morning, Sebastian," he greeted.

"Salutations, young Ash!" the crab acknowledged. "It's a good ding to see you in de morning." Ash felt troubled with what Sebastian had to say.

"Uh oh…" Sebastian gulped to his wording to Ash.

"Not like dat! I mean dat your croco- I mean, Totodile was da life of de party last night, especially to dose sisters of Ariel!" Ash laughed to Sebastian's recalling of the event.

"Well, Totodile has been known to have a lot of energy! He can wear out anyone before they know it." Flounder emerged and yawned upon hearing the information.

"Now, he tells us," he groaned. Squirtle, Kingler, Totodile and Corphish emerged, still winded from last night. Ash knelt to see their conditions.

"Everyone had a good time?" he asked. The Pokémon replied with waiving their pincers or arm. That's when there was a series of splashes. Ash looked out to find someone coming. "The king?" With a massive splash, six mermaids emerged. There was a brunette wearing blue seashells and blue fins, another brunette with spikes protruding from her curled hair and wearing an orange seashells and fins, a pale blond with red shells and fins, a blond wearing pink shells and light purple fins, a raven-haired wearing purple shells and pink fins while wearing a spiny pink tiara and one more brunette with a dark yellow fins and forest green shells while wearing a pearl headband.

"Hi there!" they greeted. Ash gawked to the sight as Pikachu reached the beach.

"Whoa…" he gulped.

"So, you're the one who owns this energetic little crocodile," the raven-haired pointed out.

"And we heard that you're the one who brought our niece back," the brunette in blue added. Ash realized the ordeal with these mermaids.

"So that means you're Ariel's sisters that King Triton told me and my Pokémon about," he figured out.

"We are!" the blond in red agreed. Sebastian decided to introduce the mermaids as Squirtle escorted Pikachu to them

"Allow me to introduce King Triton's beautiful daughters," he offered. He started with the brunette in blue. "Dere's Princess Aquata…" Next was the brunette in orange. "Princess Attina…" Now the blond in red. "Princess Arista…" Next, the blond in the purple shells. "Princess Andrina…" Up next was the raven-haired with the spiny tiara. "Princess Alana…" Lastly, the brunette with the yellow fins. "And Princess Adella." Ash awed as he ventured into the water.

"I'm surprised to see a handful of princesses like this," he complimented.

"Well, we don't often venture to the human world like this," Alana replied.

"Besides, we've been most worried about Princess Melody since she disappeared with a…" Arista stumbled. "What was that again? A giant seahorse?" Ash knew what Arista referred to and brought out his PokéDex before highlighting Horsea.

"She had this with her," he revealed on his device which made Aquata and Adella awe.

"That IS a big seahorse," Aquata gulped.

"It's also rather adorable!" cooed Andrina. She picked Pikachu up and rubbed cheek-to-cheek. "Of course, your no slouch on cuteness." Pikachu squealed in delight, making the other mermaid princesses coo in response. Adella came to Ash and held his hands.

"This day can't be complete without me rewarding you for returning Melody to all of us," she praised before kissing Ash on the cheek. The kiss had an instant blushing reaction, reddening his cheeks. Aquata also came to give Ash a reward.

"Maybe I should give you something for having a real party animal like Totodile," she teased before connecting her lips to his other cheek. The other mermaid princesses and the Pokémon laughed to Ash's reddening face. Hours later after drying up, Ash and Eric prepared themselves on a flat land with rapiers.

"First time with a sword?" he asked.

"It is, though I had a katana in my face a little after starting my journey to be a Pokémon Master," Ash admitted.

"A samurai sword? Okay… I've practiced with swords but I prefer the rapier."

"That's cool. It's just that we don't use weapons against anyone or anything, not even to the Pokémon. It's a law that we follow." Eric nodded, understanding Ash's issue with swords.

"I gotcha. There are some things you can and can't do in your world. However, swordplay is more than just learning how to use a sword. It also helps with reflexes and posture." Ash awed the explanation to use of swords.

"I bet it helps with focus as well."

"There you go! You ready?" Both lifted their rapiers. "Now, follow my lead." Both began with thrusting the rapiers. They worked on parries and counters as Melody watched her father work with her love interest. Her arm holding up her love-struck head, she stared at Ash like she's seeing a dream. Ariel came in to see her daughter with the romantic stare and viewing the one she preferred as a prince.

"He's that dreamy, isn't he?" she teased. Melody, too caught up at her endearing view of Ash, sighed with a loving smile.

"He sure is…" she hummed. Ariel giggled which snapped Melody out of her trance. "MOM!?" Ariel laughed a little to her shock as Harmony flew to Melody's side. Ariel awed Melody's Luvdisc.

"This is a cutie. Is this yours?"

"Yes… I thought Harmony would like it here and in Atlantica." Ariel caught Harmony in her hands.

"Well, like Max, it's your responsibility to take care of it." With the Rendezvous Pokémon in her arms, Ariel joined her daughter in viewing Eric and Ash in their spar. "So, Melody… What is it about Ash that you love so much?" Melody's mind began to race from her mother's question.

"Well, he's… nice… fun… and gentle… and- and so very… uh…"

"Cute?"

"Handsome!" Ariel snickered from the snap. Melody had more. "His eyes just make my- and his hair, wow… his smile… oh, that smile of his…" Ariel and Harmony watched as Melody twirled in her bliss before she plopped her back on the wall while swooningly sighing, her hands on her chest and feeling her heart beating mad for him. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm… deeply in love with Ash… and who cares if he's not a prince!" Harmony chirped to her confession.

"Neither is Alex, right?" The name made Melody blink. She soon shook it off.

"If anything, I'd wanna be friends with him. It's Ash I want in my life, not Alex." That's when Ariel sat on the bed, still holding Harmony.

"It's funny now that I remember." Melody blinked to her mother's study. "I… may have been a little older but I still remember the first time I laid eyes on your father. In fact, I'd say from the story you told me about your adventure in Ash's world is about the same thing as my story." Harmony awed the comparison.

"You're kidding…"

"Tell Max… he got in the way of seeing your father celebrating his birthday." Melody laughed to the sheepdog's interference. Speaking of, Max ran around the grass as Pikachu rode on the sheepdog. Ash and Eric watched on with the rapiers sheathed.

"Pikachu has been pretty loyal to you," Eric observed. "I can see it with Max and myself."

"I can, too," Ash agreed. "Pikachu has been my first Pokémon. Sure, we didn't start on equal terms but we've always needed each other when we needed to win or save everyone in trouble." Eric believed Ash and seeing the Mouse Pokémon on the sheepdog made the king understand.

"You know, I still remember the day I nearly died. I was on that ship on my 17th birthday when we hit a storm. Everyone evacuated from the ship but I couldn't leave Max alone. I ran back to bail him out and when I did, Max got out but I was caught in a blast from gunpowder inside. When I awoke, I had no idea that my soon-to-be wife would be my rescuer… but Max noticed right away." Ash took a step as he laughed to the ending.

"Max, come here!" Max heard Ash and tackled him to give the trainer a tongue bath. Eric and Pikachu enjoyed watching Max's affection to the one who returned the royal daughter. An hour after his time with Eric, he and Ariel entered the ballroom. Pikachu and Totodile joined the two. Ariel held a photo of Ash with a brunette woman wearing a pink button-down shirt over a yellow blouse and a white long-skirt.

"Suddenly, I can see myself and your mother in seeing how young we can be," she giggled. "And now that I know what kind of woman she is, the comparisons between us is startling: we both had to mature when we had you and Melody. Know what I mean?"

"Definitely," he understood. "It's not often that I find myself studying families and what hardships we had to endure. I highly doubt Melody was too much of a handful growing up."

"Well, not as much as my father was to me and my sisters." Both shared a chuckle. "Anyway, let's work on some dancing. First we bow to our partner." Ash nodded before both bowed: Ariel grabbed and rose her gown a little while Ash bent his body forward with on arm outstretched to the side and the other under his torso. Totodile and Pikachu also performed the bowing. "Now, we offer our hands to come together." Ariel extended her right arm. Ash also extended his right arm. Ariel huffed a little giggle. "Other arm. It's like looking into a mirror." Ash realized her point and extended his left arm. "Now, follow my lead. We're stepping on one, two, three…" Ash tried to follow Ariel's steps but stumbled, only to catch his footing to keep from falling on his face.

"My bad." Both reset and Ariel took the lead once more. They lasted a few seconds longer but Ash nearly fell again. Ariel caught him this time. "I've never… really danced before." Ariel nodded, figuring out his issue. "I mean, Totodile can dance a lot better than I can." Totodile came to the pair and began to waltz with Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon realized the dance and soon caught on to which the two began to waltz.

"My goodness… Totodile can certainly waltz like any human!"

"He can be a real ham at times." That's when he noticed Totodile's footwork when dancing. He now had an idea. "It's in the feet… That what's been wrong with my dance. Thanks, Totodile!" His name called, Totodile celebrated with a happy dance. "Ari- I mean, your highness… let's start slow and work our way up to speed." Ariel smiled to Ash's correction.

"You got it! And you can still call me Ariel." The two began slow and Ash began to work hand-in-hand with Ariel and soon, they began to move faster and in rhythm. They finished with a bow to each other. "Way to go, Ash! I think you'll be set for the ball tomorrow." Ash laughed and took a deep breath.

"I hope I don't disappoint anyone." Ariel believed him and gave him a kiss to the cheeks and forehead. Just then, they heard a clap. Eric applauded the performance by his wife and their guest with Grimsby by his side.

"Bravo!" the king cheered. Ash, Ariel and the Pokémon turned to see the two men. "All these years with our kingdom and daughter and you haven't lost a step." Ariel giggled to her husband's compliment.

"What can I say, dear?" she teased. "I was born to dance… same with Totodile." The Big Jaw Pokémon chortled as he itched his cheek. Grimsby came forward.

"Master Ash, please come with me for preparation," he requested. "Chef Louis has a special dinner for you and the princess. He's been eager to try a new dish for the two of you to dine on." Not wanting to upset anyone, Ash nodded to the order. In the kitchen, Louis began to see his culinary art take shape.

"Ash and ze princess will become delighted to have zis!" he cheered rather bubbly. Ash soon was prepared to dine with Melody in a separate room. The table had a set of candles lit for the mood. Ash moved a chair to let Melody sit down on before he took his seat. Louis entered with a cart and trays covered. "Monsieur Ash, Mademoiselle Melody… dinner is served!" He opened the lids to reveal bread and butter, bowls of a red soup, steamed, chopped carrots and beans, scallops and a grilled garnered fish in lemon juice and parsley. "Tonight, we have bread, tomato soup, steamed carrots and beans, scallops and my latest creation… Sole Meunière!" Ash and Melody awed the food Louis prepared.

"Louis, I can't explain to you how awesome this spread looks!" he praised. Louis laughed to Ash's excited gesture.

"Vous êtes les bienvenus, Monsieur Ash!" he returned. "Of course, I have water and more of ze cranberry-pomegranate juice you had ze day before."

"Thank you very much, Chef Louis!" the raven-haired princess acknowledged. "Say, do you think you can make a list of some recipes for Ash to bring home. He knows some people who love to cook." The request made Louis gleeful.

"Mais oui!" he cheered. "It shall be done!" He left to let the kids eat. Ash and Melody ate and enjoyed the food.

"This is good!" awed Ash.

"I'd say Chef Louis outdoes himself a lot," Melody agreed. "So, what are you doing when you get back to the Pokémon World?"

"Since I had my moment when I beat the Battle Dome and its Frontier Brain, Tucker, it's May's turn with her Pokémon Contest." Melody blinked to the name.

"Battle… Dome?"

"See, I'm journeying in the Battle Frontier. It's a series of locations where I compete to earn Frontier Symbols." He brought out a case where three circular spots had gold coins and four more were empty. One coin looked like a baseball diamond missing home plate, one had a rectangle imprint that looked like two "L" shapes and one more had a small and large rectangle with semi-oval imprints on each side of said rectangles.

"You won those?"

"I did." He pointed to the diamond coin. "I beat Noland with Charizard to win the Knowledge Symbol." Next was the coin with the "L" shapes. "That I beat Greta with my Snorlax." Last was the heavily-imprinted coin. "And I beat Tucker with my Swellow and Corphish." Melody's awe showed itself to Ash's success.

"You still have four more to go! I know you can do it!"

"Thanks! Funny enough, after I beat Tucker, I got a call from Misty and it was about King Sea Island."

"Wait, you got a… call?"

"Didn't you see the video phones in the Pokémon Center? With the moving pictures on the screens?"

"Those with the handle-like devices?" That's when she pictured Ash and Misty on a phone kiosk with a video screen showing each other. "Oh… So, Misty called you with that phone and video and told you about King Sea Island?"

"She did. She also called Tracey to see if he could join all of us." Melody laughed to the addition.

"Talk about one big reunion. So, Dad said he saw you with Mom dancing for the ball."

"It'll be my second ball I've attended. I… didn't dance in the first one." Melody gasped to the confession.

"Why not?"

"It took place at the Cameran Palace after I won their tournament against Kidd Summers. I saw my friends having fun on the dance floor but I was told to only watch."

"At least you'll get a chance tomorrow. At least it won't be ruined by Morgana." Now it was Ash who blinked to the name.

"Morgana?"

"She's a sea witch who was after my locket and tricked me into becoming a mermaid for only a little time. I guess she granted my wish for only a moment." Ash began to think about the locket and now compared Jessie to the mentioned sea witch.

"Jessie saw the locket for its value. Pure gold isn't something she'd pass up."

"You see, Morgana used me to obtain the locket due to a secret about my past, one that I've now accepted."

"You mean about your family of merfolk?"

"Yep." She brought her locket out to show Ash. "Take a look!" She opened the locket and light shot out of it. The light dimmed little by little as it revealed an undersea castle. Ash gasped in awe.

"Is this… Atlantica? Where King Triton, your mom and aunts reside?"

"All sorts of seafaring friends and merfolk as well. We had a wall built to separate humans and merfolk but I tore it down." Ash studied the castle from the locket's light.

"I can only imagine what's in the castle. It's too bad that I'm only human." Melody thought of a way for him to see Atlantica personally.

"Grandpa could take you down there to see it as a reward for you bringing me home safe and sound." She closed the locket, the room restoring its normal light.

"Melody, seeing your family happy is rewarding enough. After the ball tomorrow, I can focus back on my journey." Melody reached and clasped Ash's hand.

"When you do, you'll have my support, as well as my families'."

"Thank you, princess." They finished their meals before Melody opened the last dish. It was a dish of macarons. "Whoa, you were right about Louis. He spared no expense!"

"Right? Shall we?" They ate the macarons and savored the sweetness. Not one macaron was spared. "Those were good!" The dinner was complete. "I had a great time with you and knowing more about you and your friends." She gave Ash a wink to where Ash blushed.

"Oh- Of course!"

"If it's okay with you, can I have Pikachu for tonight?"

"Absolutely. Pikachu wouldn't mind one bit."

"Thanks!" Night fell and Ash may have been alone but he had confidence in what tomorrow would bring. Melody was fast asleep with Pikachu and Harmony snuggled together with her. The ball was near and everyone would be coming…

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	9. Make Ballroom for Two

_Chapter 9: Make Ballroom for Two_

* * *

A new morning… Pikachu, Harmony and Melody slept as the sun beamed into the room. The two Pokémon woke to the sun's rays. Clouds actually shielded Melody's face. ("Good morning, Pikachu,") whispered Harmony.

("Morning, Harmony,") Pikachu returned. Moans from Melody made the Pokémon turn to her.

"Ash…" she whimpered in her sleep. "Stay with me… Ash, stay… I love you, I… I can't let you go…" The two Pokémon wondered what her dream was as she puckered her lips.

("Does she love your master?") the Rendezvous Pokémon wondered.

("I think so,") Pikachu assumed. The sun's rays finally touched Melody's face and stirred her awake.

"That was a nice dream," she yawned. Barely opened, her eyes viewed her and Ash's Pokémon staring back at her. That made her eyelids open entirely. "Did I say that?"

("You kinda did,") Pikachu replied. Melody shook her head.

"Sorry…" she apologized. She got out of bed and looked outside from the window. Her face brightened. "Today's the day of the ball… And maybe I'll get a chance to tell Ash my feelings." Pikachu and Harmony gasped, hoping she would. Melody picked up and kissed Pikachu, who enjoyed it. Outside, Ash was back on the beach, his hair back to normal.

"Misty would lose her mind with seeing Sebastian and Flounder," he muttered. "Not to mention the mermaids and King Triton. Maybe her sisters as well." Someone heard a name and decided to speak up.

"Who are you talking about?" asked Flounder. Ash turned to the water and found the yellow fish.

"A former traveling companion. She's one of four Pokémon Gym Leaders in Cerulean City and they specialize in Water Pokémon." While Ash did help in mentioning Misty, Flounder still felt unclear on a few things.

"What's a Gym, and are these sisters as gorgeous as the king's daughters?" Ash wasn't too sure how to answer Flounder when Triton emerged from the water. He faced Ash as he stood up.

"It's a good thing I have a chance to see you this morning," he greeted. "What did you do to your hair?" Ash chuckled to the notice.

"This is my natural look," he replied. "Grimsby and Carlotta said they'll have it redone by the time of the ball tonight." As Ash spoke up, a giant chariot emerged which looked a lot like a seashell. Dolphins beaked to the trainer to board with Triton.

"Why not come aboard for a little discussion?" Ash gulped to the invite.

"Now I wish Pikachu's with me." As if cued…

("Wait for me!") squeaked Pikachu. Ash turned to see his Pokémon joining him.

"I was just thinking of you!" he gawked.

("I bet you were,") Pikachu sneered. With Pikachu, Ash boarded the chariot before the dolphins started to pull and take them around the beach.

"I heard from Melody that you had saved her when over in your world," Triton recalled. Ash and Pikachu remembered the incidents from when Melody arrived to the rescue of her and the Lapras.

("He sure did,") Pikachu confirmed.

"Twice, actually," Ash corrected. Triton's eyes opened wide to the news. "Melody brought over a Horsea, a Seahorse Pokémon, that had been separated from its family when a Sharpedo chased the two. I had Kingler help save the two and stop Sharpedo who ran away." Triton listened to the story and recalled a similar story.

"Reminds me of a time Ariel was being chased by sharks in what she claimed was a… dinglehopper," he thought back. Ash could ask but the question would seem pointless.

"I'm not gonna ask." Deciding to forgo explanations, Triton wondered about the second rescue.

"So what prompted you to save Melody again?"

"It was the end of the AquaMon Festival when Team Rocket caught all the Lapras and Melody was in their net. They used their submarine, a ferry that can go underwater, and dragged the Lapras and Melody below surface. The reason is for Melody's locket." The news made Triton pull on the dolphins to stop. The dolphins looked back and saw Triton seething.

"Who… is… Team Rocket?" Ash dug in his pocket with a folded poster. It had Jessie's and James' mug shots.

"They're usually after rare and valuable Pokémon, and knowing that, they'll try to make a mess at the ball for Pikachu or the locket." Triton knew what he needed to do.

"Ash, I thank you for making sure Princess Melody is safe."

"Anything to help out." Ash now wondered about the possibility of Jessie and James arriving. "I've got that sinking feeling about Team Rocket. They're always chasing me wherever I go. I don't want to-"

"Say no more." Ash looked up to Triton "If my soldiers find these fiends, they'll notify me." Ash and Pikachu knew Triton would do anything for his family.

"Thanks…"

("We appreciate it,") added Pikachu. Ariel entered Carlotta's room on a check of Melody's dress.

"How's it coming?" she asked. Carlotta turned to Ariel with a smile.

"It's finished!" she replied. "See for yourself!" Ariel circled around Carlotta and found the dress on a mannequin. She gasped and awed the finished project.

"My goodness, Carlotta! She'll love it!" As time passed, servants cleaned and fixed Ash's, Melody's persons and some of the Pokémon as well. The sun began to set as the people from the village began to journey their way to the palace for the ball. All wore different colored ballgowns and suits. Ash had his hair back into a ponytail with a little braid.

"You shall look spiffy when the ball starts," Grimsby believed.

"Can't wait…" trusted Ash. The chef continued hard working on the feast for all the guests appearing. Melody saw the crowd coming.

"So many people…" she gulped as she hid from sight and plopped her back to the wall. "They can't all be for me! This isn't good! I don't know if I deserve this much attention! What do I do?" She began breathing rapidly and repeatedly just as Ariel and Eric entered.

"Baby, calm down!" she urged. "We're here!" Melody's eyes grew in fear from the people attending.

"I know it's a lot, but it's not just you, alright?" he promised. Melody's breathing eased, longer and deeper breaths to calm herself.

"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad," she whined. "I know I should be stronger than this but… what if Ash finds out? What if he doesn't like me-"

"Now's not the time to concern yourself with what he thinks," Ariel assured. "I know what he wants and that's for you to have a good time." Seeing her mother's smile, Melody dove onto her chest, crying.

"It's alright," Eric assured. "I know you love him and want to be your best." A sniffle to breathe from, Melody's smile emerged. In the ballroom, Ash met with some of the local children who came to the ball. He donned himself in a blue military-style uniform as Pikachu wore a black button-down shirt with a bow-tie. Squirtle and Totodile wore a bow-tie each.

"So, you're actually from another world?" the carmine-haired girl gasped. She wore a brown ballgown. The white-haired girl wore a black ballgown while the blond had blue and the chestnut brunette donned gray. "I'd say you're full of it if not for Pikachu and your little turtle and cute crocodile."

"It's not hard to believe after meeting my Pokémon up close," Ash pointed out before sipping on a glass of cranberry-pomegranate juice. "I was just surprised to have had Princess Melody in my world to begin with."

"Oh, so she ran away again from the palace?" guessed a lavender-haired boy.

"Not intentionally," Ash corrected. "A Pokémon found its way here and she wanted to return it before going back and I got caught up in her life somehow."

"So, she helped out?" the chestnut brunette mentioned.

"I thought she'd have a good heart," a blond boy sided. Peering through the windows of the ballroom, Jessie, James and Meowth found Ash and Pikachu as the white-haired girl held the Mouse Pokémon.

"I can't believe our luck!" gawked Meowth. "Da twerp is hanging out with royalty!"

"And who would've guessed that the twerpette with the gold locket is the princess of this place," James awed.

"Just makes this all the more satisfying when we get that, Pikachu and the grub," sneered Jessie. "It's been sometime since I've had anything gourmet." That made James and Meowth turn to Jessie.

"Maybe if we invested in low-tech ideas instead of using the money on equipment that the twerps destroy on a normal basis," James scolded. "We'd be having little issue about our budget!" Unknown to them, Sebastian found the three waiting to make a move. Flounder partially surfaced.

"Da king notified?" the crab whispered.

"He's on his way," Flounder confirmed. "Soldiers on the move."

"Good… Dash?" The walrus emerged.

"Here!" he announced.

"Fling me to da cat!" ordered Sebastian. Dash used his fin to scoop Sebastian before throwing him at Meowth. Within reach, the crab snapped his pincer on Meowth's tail. He leaped into the air in immense pain. At its apex, Sebastian leaped off onto the palace roof as Dash hurled Flounder.

"What was that?" asked Jessie. She turned back to the ocean where she butted heads with the tropical fish who bounced off her face before whacking her with his tail fin. He dove back into the ocean as Scuttle flew at James.

"And they say I'm not too bright," he admitted before pecking at James' head.

"Stop pecking me!" he cried. Jessie wondered where the next attack would come from. Tip flew out of the water and winged Jessie in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground. Meowth recovered and looked around.

"What's going on!?" he mewed in anger. Suddenly, Triton rose from the depths and spotted Team Rocket. James and Meowth gasped in shock to Triton's size.

"He's huge!" they screamed. Triton viewed the three.

"So, Ash sensed you three were coming for my granddaughter and the Pokémon," he realized. Jessie's face read anger.

"Not fair!" she argued. "Twerp should know better than to predict us! Besides, once we get that locket, you won't see us again!" Triton rose and pointed his trident at Team Rocket.

"You're right about one thing!" he scowled before shooting lightning at the three when a blue blob standing straight up with a flat black tail emerged. It didn't matter as the lightning hit the three. They quickly morphed and shrunk. All three were little greenish polyps.

"What just happened?" gulped James.

"We're hideous!" gawked Meowth.

"Hey, change us back!" demanded Jessie. The blob stood in shock as four Pokéballs were by its side, as well as Meowth's coin. Triton picked the Rocket polyps. "We didn't do anything to you!"

"You mean trying to kill my family?" he growled. A merman wearing an iron helmet and a breastplate emerged. "Take them to the depths of the ocean."

"Yes, your majesty," he obeyed. Triton handed the polyps to the merman, though Jessie tried to hang on to him by jumping up and wrapping herself around his neck. However, she was so weak as a polyp, she didn't get a good grip. Triton removed Jessie from his neck easily and dropped her into the merman's hands. He dove underwater and Team Rocket couldn't do a thing.

"Team Rocket's got a sinking feeling!" they garbled. Back inside, all waited for Melody's arrival. That's when three more kids found Ash.

"This must be the one who brought Melody back," a girl scoffed. Ash turned to see another blond girl in an orange ballgown. She was joined by two brunette boys, one that was skinny in a green suit and one rotund with freckles in purple. "Probably would've been better if she was left there." Ash and Pikachu started to feel unappreciated from her tone.

("Maybe you're right,") mocked Pikachu. ("Away from you…")

"Do you know what kind of a troublemaker Princess Melody is?" the freckled brunette asked. "She's always running from her home to go on her adventures."

"She'd rather be in the ocean than getting a real princess treatment!" the blond girl argued.

"You bringing her back means nothing if she runs away again," the skinny brunette warned. Ash took their fowl and scoffed.

"What makes you so sure?" he pondered. The blond decided to try a different angle.

"We're commoners to this royal family," she pointed out. "I'm more suitable than some troublemaker who won't listen to her parents… and you don't need a mouse like him to have a good time." Pikachu felt offended and growled to the blond.

"I don't think insulting Pikachu is a good idea, since he can take down dragons," Ash came back. "Heck, I own one." The boys gawked to Ash's story.

"You… have one?" the skinny brunette asked.

"Totally," Ash sneered. "A winged dragon that can breathe fire, has sharp claws and teeth…" The brunettes began to quiver as Pikachu knew who his trainer referred to.

("Not sure you wanna talk about Charizard like that,") he warned. Ash remembered one more item.

"Oh yeah, and there's more of them that can tear people apart in seconds. I just happened to see the horde in action and boy, do they leave nothing behind." The brunettes screamed in great fear before running away and leaving Ash with the blond. Melody peered to see Ash but not the blond.

"Oh… my… gosh!" she squealed in awe. "I can't wait to be with him!" Grimsby came to the ballroom for his announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is a grand pleasure to welcome you to tonight's ball," he proclaimed. "Not only for the safe return of Princess Melody, but of meeting the hero who has joined us tonight. Before I greet the returner, allow me to welcome King Eric and Queen Ariel!" Eric, wearing a white military-style uniform with a sash, and Ariel, in a white ballgown and lavender skirt, entered and were greeted by the attendees. They reached the center of the ballroom to be met by everyone else, some who've been dancing to the orchestra playing.

"We thank you for coming tonight," Eric praised. "We've had a rough few days when our daughter had mysteriously vanished. While we feared the worse, we're happy to say that not only has our daughter returned, but he has also traveled here to be part of tonight's festivities."

"Not to mention bringing his creatures as you may have seen," Ariel added. "Pikachu, Squirtle, Totodile…" The named Pokémon raced to Ariel before she picked up the Mouse and Big Jaw Pokémon. Eric lifted Squirtle. "These are some cute creatures we would love to keep for ourselves. Still, let's welcome to the palace's ballroom, Ash Ketchum." Ash joined his Pokémon and the family while cheers and applause echoed the ballroom.

"By the end of the night, Ash will be part of my world," sneered the blond. Now was the time for Melody's arrival.

"Let us now welcome… Princess Melody!" announced Grimsby. All turned to find Melody in a new ballgown and hair flowing freely. The ballgown was cream-colored with pinkish wing-like fins on her back. Her shoulders were blue with a pink diamond on the top of the long sleeves. Finally, the linen of her skirt was blue with ovals and cut to ovals at around the knees. She also wore a coral-colored tiara. Ash and the Pokémon gasped at her design.

"Is that… Milotic?" he guessed.

"She drew it and I was enamored by what she could do," Ariel admitted.

"Seeing Milotic, I wouldn't argue."

"Right?" Ariel now turned to the crowd. "Once again, we thank you all for coming!" With cheers, everyone resumed the party. With the music playing, Eric and Ariel joined the dance floor to waltz with others. Even Carlotta and Louis began to dance as well. Ash and the Pokémon watched for a little while when the blond came up.

"So, what do you say?" she urged. "It'll be nice to dance with someone from a new place." To Ash, there was someone in need of something nice.

"It would be," he giggled. That's when he walked over to Melody after watching the dancing. The blond gasped to his decision as he offered his hand to a nervous princess. Pikachu and Totodile pumped their fists for Ash to ask Melody. "Princess Melody?" Her name heard and the blond now understanding his intention, Melody turned to Ash. "Would you like this dance?" Melody's face blushed to her boy's request.

' _He- He's asking me!'_ she gasped. _'This is a dream, there's no way he would ask me out of the blue! But if I don't respond, I won't get another chance. It's now or never!'_ With a deep breath, she was ready. "…But of course!" She gave her hand to Ash to where she felt the soft skin of the one she fell for. Ash and Melody came to the dance floor and began to dance while the lights in the ballroom dimmed little by little as the two waltz for a minute. Ash noticed Melody's nerves not yet calm.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just so… many… people watching." Ariel and Eric watched their daughter while Ash thought about how to keep her at ease.

"Don't worry about them. Just stay focused with me." Melody's head nodded. They waltz some more for a couple of minutes with Melody regaining comfort when Ash lifted Melody into the air and twirled her in a circle.

"Wow!" The moment gave Ariel and Eric a reminder.

"I gave you that spin after your father gave you human legs," he recalled.

"I thought that looked familiar," she joked. The song began to wind down and both Ash and Melody gazed into each others' eyes. Ash's chocolate brown eyes couldn't turn away from Melody's sparkling sea blue eyes and the other way around. They leaned in and as the song started to end, they embraced in a long kiss with their eyes closed and Melody's leg lifting up, the frills of her skirt rubbing her leg. The girls moaned that Melody won Ash's lips, though none more than the blond with the two brunettes.

"He doesn't deserve her!" she whined before stomping out of the ballroom.

"Sucks to be her," the white-haired girl sighed. Everyone else applauded Melody in finding love with Ash. The two may not break their lips anytime soon.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	10. Ring Around the Roses

_Chapter 10: Ring Around the Roses_

* * *

Ash and Melody have engaged themselves in a kiss during the ball and now have begun a stroll outside the palace into a garden as the full moonlight illuminated the land and starry sky. The ball was for Melody's return and Ash, while attracting some girls, chose to dance with the princess. As they made the stroll, they came to a fountain where Ash found a lily. Melody undid Ash's ponytail, returning it to normal. Ash presented a lily ring while Ariel, Eric, Pikachu and Totodile watched from afar inside the palace. Totodile was on Eric's shoulder while Pikachu rested in Ariel's arms. Melody offered her left hand for Ash to slip the ring onto her slender and soft finger. After awhile, Ash and Melody found a bench to sit on and rest their legs. They gazed into the night sky. "I didn't know how beautiful the moon looks tonight," Melody observed.

"It's a great night, for sure," Ash agreed. "I got to dance with a princess… you, of course…" Melody laughed to the review. "It's been amazing since we came back here from King Sea Island."

"I know…" Suddenly, Melody began to sing. Hearing her, Ash couldn't believe Melody's voice.

"Wait a sec... you're that angel!?" A laugh from Melody told Ash the truth.

"And you've been a part of my world." Both shared laughs and Ash now began to reflect on everything he and his Pokémon have been through.

"And… I may have been completely wrong about something." Melody blinked to the sudden confession. "I thought if I love anyone or anything, it would be my Pokémon. I have to be incredibly dense about it, now that I'm starting to get a better view of what love actually is." Melody's awe about his confession seemed to have caught her by surprise while Triton found the garden and saw the kids.

"Would you believe that when I saw you at first, I… kinda fell for you without knowing who you are." Ash seemed rather surprised to hear Melody's admittance. "Here I am, a princess admiring a commoner… I thought that was forbidden. I mean, my mom's a mermaid princess while my dad's a human prince so that was okay…" Ash giggled to Melody's point.

"I don't think loving a commoner is bad. Commoners see you as part of the future."

"That's true. Then again, if not for Horsea…" The pause caused Ash to glance to Melody who laughed. "It's funny… Max was the reason Mom and Dad became a couple, and Horsea did the same with us!"

"You're right!" Both shared laughs to the realization. As they eased their laughs, Melody's head collapsed onto Ash's shoulder. He felt the soft impact before he rested his head on hers.

"Ash, this night… I don't want it to end." Ash wrapped his arms around her to hug. This embrace caught Ariel's attention, realizing this embrace.

"He's the one!" she gasped. The Pokémon gawked to Ariel's discovery while Eric had an idea to his queen's sight.

"You're saying Ash is perfect for Melody?" he guessed.

"There's no question about it. I don't care if Ash is a commoner or not." Neither Pokémon had a clue to this understanding.

("What's going on, your highness?") croaked the Big Jaw Pokémon. Pikachu started to believe what Ariel meant.

("They're in love?") the Mouse Pokémon squeaked. Totodile gawked once more to the guess but soon laughed, getting Pikachu's answer. They returned to find Grimsby and Carlotta locating them coincidentally.

"King Eric, the ball's about done," Grimsby announced.

"Okay, but we'll need to keep the guests here a little longer," Eric instructed. "We have an important announcement to make." Grimsby and Carlotta seemed unsure about the rule.

"Important?" she repeated. "How so?" Ariel came to Carlotta for an instruction of her own.

"Carlotta, there's a box in the closet I need you to get," she commanded. "The small one…" Carlotta's eyes lit up to the item mentioned.

"You mean..." she awed. "At once, your majesty!" Grimsby soon figured out the ordeal and headed to the ballroom. Ariel had one more order and turned to Ash's companion.

"Pikachu, think you can get bring Ash and Melody inside?" she asked. Pikachu saluted Ariel's request.

("You got it!") he answered before leaping down. He dashed with impressive speed out to the garden and found the two. ("Ash! Melody!") Hearing the squeaking, Ash and Melody woke to find Pikachu in the garden with them.

"Pikachu, what is it?" she asked.

("You're needed in the ballroom. Come on!") Dashing ahead, Pikachu led Ash and Melody who got back on their feet. The ballroom hadn't emptied yet but the people inside heard Grimsby's announcement. They wondered about the big deal. Squritle, Swellow, Corphish and Kingler heard Grimsby as well. The royal family and Ash soon entered where the blond who belittled Melody spotted him. The natural hairstyle caught the girls' attention, the blond no different.

"That's a wild look I can favor!" she sneered. Eric and Ariel stood in front of the crowd, the queen holding a small chest.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I know this is sudden but we feel this to be important, to the family and to the country," she started. "There's a tradition that I learned when I engaged to King Eric when he was a prince. Tonight, we pass that tradition to our daughter as we acknowledge her love to Ash." The crowd wondered in awe to the announcement while Ash's Pokémon curiously looked on.

("What's she talking about?") wondered Corphish. Swellow eyed the chest in Ariel's hands.

("That box might know,") he beaked. Ariel handed Ash the chest and opened it, finding two gold rings. While both jewels took shapes of a droplet, one was made from emerald and the other made of coral. Ash smiled before taking the rings out.

"Commitment…" he muttered. He now turned to Melody, one ring held by his index finger and thumb. "Princess…" Melody's face read shock and awe to the ring. The blond gawked horribly.

"WHAT!?" she snapped.

"Melody, will you accept this engagement?" asked Eric. Melody's heart raced. She quickly beamed a huge smile as she offered her right hand where Ash slipped the coral ring onto her finger.

"Oh my goodness, ever since I met you," she cheered. "I loved you at first sight… and now, I cannot say yes enough!" The crowd and the Pokémon cheered wildly but the blond girl had complete shock. Other girls whined to losing to the princess. Melody hugged and kissed Ash on the lips to the horror of the blond and Carlotta cried, shedding tears of joy.

"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she yelled. Defeat came hard for her as she stormed out of the palace with Corphish and Squritle shaking heads as Melody slipped the other ring onto the ring finger of Ash's left hand.

("Loser…") they mocked. She found herself in the village, seething with anger before entering a house. After a minute, her orange gown was thrown out a window. The ball had ended and Ash was back on the beach with Sebastian and Flounder, as well as his Pokémon and Max. Pikachu rode on the family sheepdog. The emerald ring was on his left hand.

"You and Melody are engaged!?" the crab gawked. He let out a yelp in celebration as he rode on Ash's shoulder. The trainer also had a guitar on hand. "I can't say enough of how proud I am for you, Mon!" Ash giggled to the compliment.

"You're happy about it?" he teased. "I thought you may be worried about an announcement like that… as well as King Triton."

"Hey, how often does someone like you become a fiance to a member of royalty?" questioned Flounder.

"I know, it's like living a fantasy kids like me dream of growing up," Ash compared. Max barked as he enjoyed Ash's talk with Ariel's aquatic friends. "Anyway, I wish I could take you to the Pokémon world and meet my friends."

"Not dat I wouldn't mind, Prince Ash," Sebastian scoffed. "My duties are still with da king of da sea."

"Don't be so hard, Sebastian," Flounder muttered. "He's being nice about it. Sure, we can't do what your Kingler and Totodile can do, but it would be a memorable visit that we can tell Triton about. Besides, what's the worst that could come out of the sea over there?" Looking up, Ash found a window lit up.

"This is it," Ash nodded. "And the guitar I asked Eric to borrow... Okay, think you two can help me?" Sebastian and Flounder looked to each other before turning back to Ash.

"With what?" the crab asked. Ash snagged Sebastian to meet him face-to-face.

"First, I want you and Flounder to..." He began to whisper to Sebastian whose eyes lit up. "Then, we'll…" More whispers from Ash to Sebastian.

("What does he need help with?") asked Squritle. Sebastian's eyes grew in excitement.

"Dat… is… GENIUS, MON!" he cheered. "Sheer brilliance! We can do dat!"

"Sweet!" noted Ash. "Think you can come back in a little bit?"

"Of course! We got work to do, Flounder!" Sebastian dove into the sea and Flounder and Corphish followed.

"Wait up, Sebastian!" the fish warned. In the lit room, Melody danced in her white silky nightgown as Harmony watched.

"Isn't this great, Harmony?" she cheered as she waltzed by herself, her bare feet bouncing the floor. She had nothing in her hands or arms but still danced as if she had a partner. "Ash and I got engaged. Oh, I can't wait to marry and… the love we have is building!" Unable to float on the side, Harmony swam to and danced alongside her trainer. She reached her bed and fell onto the mattress back-first, holding her heart while letting out a long, happy lovesick sigh while her toes wiggled in bliss. Her smile couldn't shine any brighter but Harmony rubbed her stomach fast, tickling the princess. "Harmony, stop! That tickles!" Harmony laughed before she and Melody heard a guitar. The raven-haired heir opened the window and looked down. She and her Pokémon found Ash and the creatures singing a serenade to the princess.

("That's grateful of them to do that!") chirped Harmony. Strumming the guitar, Ash sang from his heart with words lines he created. Swellow flew in and Ash flicked a rose without thorns to where his Swallow Pokémon clasped with his talons. He flew up to the window to drop off, handing it to Melody before returning back to Ash. She looked down to Ash with a swooned, lovesick face before she blew a kiss to him. She retreated to her room as Ash begins to wonder.

"Think she liked it?" he asked.

"No, Ash," Sebastian teased. "I can tell a human's emotion from afar. She didn't like our serenade… she LOVED it. I can only imagine King Triton's reaction when I tell him da good news."

"Well, she wouldn't have loved it without your help, as well as Flounder, Tip, Dash, Corphish, Squritle, Totodile, Kingler, Swellow and Pikachu." Max whimpered to being left out. Ash corrected himself and petted Max. "Sorry about that. You're just as important. I didn't mean to leave you out like that." Relieved, Max licked Ash in the face. Everyone feeling relieved, Ash recalled his Pokémon and traveled back to the palace with Max and Pikachu. Ash slipped into some pajamas to sleep in after entering the guest room.

("We head back tomorrow, Ash?") asked Pikachu. Max became worried to the news.

"It's back to our journey, Pikachu," Ash confirmed. "It's a nice stay Eric and Ariel gave us." That's when there was a knock on the door. Ash reached the door and opened it. Melody burst through the door and tackled Ash who managed to stay on his feet. "Melody!?" Before Ash could ask, Melody began kissing Ash repeatedly all over his face.

"Thank you!" she cried repeatedly before each kiss. After a minute of kisses, longer than after Ash rescued her from Team Rocket, she hugged Ash, his face covered in lipstick. "I'm glad to have chosen you as my love!" Ash returned the hug. "Ash, I know this sounds… selfish of me but… please sleep with me!" Ash gawked to his fiancee's request. "I know that you'll be going back tomorrow, back to your friends and continue your Pokémon journey. I just don't want to let you go without a night together!" Ash knew Melody needed at least one night with her beloved fiance.

"Of course, dear. Hang on." Melody blinked before Ash lifted her off her feet. Her arms still around his neck, she rode in Ash's arms on their way to Melody's room with Pikachu still on Max. As they entered the room, there was a tremble. A shake and a whimper. Looking down, Ash saw Melody's tears entering his shirt and soaking his chest as she began to cry. "Is something wrong?" With tears streaking down her face, she gave Ash a smile, one that Ash couldn't help but admire.

"Nothing. I'm just so happy." Ash awed her emotion coming out. "You're leaving tomorrow… but tonight was… magical… one of my best nights! We've been betrothed to each other and I can't be mad at anyone or anything. I'm the luckiest girl in the world… and it's thanks to you." Ash was able to conclude her reasoning.

"Tears of joy… You can cry all you want…" Sebastian watched from outside after Scuttle gave him a lift as Harmony watched the pair as Ash carried her to bed. The crab began to quietly sing.

 _Yes, you want her;  
_ _Look at her, you know you do;  
_ _Possible she want you too;  
_ _There is one way to ask her;  
_ _It don't take a word;  
_ _Not a single word;  
_ _Go on and kiss the girl!_

When Ash laid Melody down, she refused to let go of him. Ash smiled and wormed his way into bed as Pikachu and Harmony snuggled with Max. Finally in bed with their beloved, Ash and Melody kissed each other on the lips. The passion ran through each other, neither one willing to let the other go. With the lights out, Ash and Melody soon fell asleep in the arms of one another. Tonight, they'll have each other. Tomorrow, one has to leave.

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	11. Part of Each Others' Worlds

_Chapter 11/Final: Part of Each Others' Worlds_

* * *

The new morning rose as the new royal couple spent their last day together. Ash and Melody became engaged at the ball hosted by Ariel and Eric for Melody's safe return. With Swellow's help, Sebastian arrived in Ash's room to greet him. "Good morning, Ash!" he cheered. "Boy, do I have news for you!" He reached the bed and noticed no lump from on top. "Ash?" He peered under the blanket, but nothing was underneath. "Where did you go, Mon?" He saw the door opened and walked through as Ariel came out of her bedroom and spotted the crab.

"Sebastian?" she called. Sebastian turned to the queen.

"Oh! Ariel! Thank goodness! Your father wanted to congratulate Ash on da engagement to da princess! But he's not in his room!" Ariel gasped and wondered.

"Could he be with Melody?" Going by that assumption, both entered Melody's room in which they quietly entered. They saw huge bumps. Quickly, Ariel's motherly instincts begin to rise. She spotted Max sleeping along with Pikachu and Harmony. Quietly, she reached the bedside and lifted the blanket. Underneath, she spotted Melody on Ash, both bodies under the blankets. Melody's head rested on Ash's chest, listening to his heart. The fingers of her right hand with the coral ring interlaced with Ash's left fingers, one having the emerald ring. The sight told Ariel to ease her suspicions as Pikachu stirred. Ariel re-covered the two kids.

"Is it dem?" All Ariel did was giggle with her hand muffling some of the sound.

"Let's let them sleep as long as they need to. You can tell him when they wake up." Sebastian took a deep breath as Max and Harmony awoke. Ariel tiptoed to the animals. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Let's get some breakfast while Ash and Melody sleep." Max happily panted while he and the Pokémon left to eat with Pikachu in Ariel's arms. A minute after they left, Melody stirred. As she woke, the first thing she saw was her fiance's face. She gazed lovingly to his smiling face for sometime. That's when she sensed something and turned. The sun, and its light could touch his face.

' _Not today, sunshine,'_ she thought before hiding their heads under the blanket. She now had her method of stirring Ash with a series of kisses to the face. She finished it off with a kiss to his lips. The passionate kiss lasted a minute as Ash began to wake up. Because of the layers of bed-sheets over him, Ash wondered about the time.

"Did you have a bad dream?" he asked. "It's still the middle of the night, right?" Melody's giggle told Ash it wasn't.

"No, it's morning. I was having a good time staring at that cute sleeping face of yours, I couldn't resist." Ash flashed a grin to Melody's tease.

"Letting me sleep or waking me up?"

"Well, I wanted to see those milk chocolate eyes that I love to look into." Ash huffed a giggle to the remark.

"Is that so… I could say the same with that sunshine of a face to wake up to." Melody laughed before they engaged in more kissing under the blanket. After their moment beneath the sheets, they headed out to the village where the people saw the newly engaged couple. They gave Ash and Melody some congratulatory praises, even hugging the couple for the engagement. The girls who swooned for Ash after appearing at the palace were still upset, but they were good sports. They fed some food to the Pokémon, even to Harmony. The day wasn't long but it was memorable as Melody enjoyed the last day together with her husband-to-be. On the beach, Ash was back in his clothes as the royal family and staff gathered. Ariel and Eric were the first to give their final farewells as Triton and his other daughters emerged to say goodbye.

"Ash, you don't know how much your visit has changed all of us," Ariel spoke. "We're actually glad you and your Pokémon came by and taught us about your world."

"Of course," Ash nodded. "I'm still surprised that not only did I return a princess, but now engaged to one. It still feels surreal…"

"We know the feeling firsthand when I fell in love with Ariel," Eric reminded. "And now we have someone who can take care of Melody." Ash came forward as Pikachu was picked up by Ariel, giving him a kiss.

"There's something else I got that I don't think I've had in my life," the trainer/new prince admitted. "A dad." This took Eric by surprise.

"Really!?" Ash's head bobbed.

"Never had a dad while growing up so you know how exciting it is." A tear shed from Eric's eye before they engaged in a hug.

"That is startling news, Young Master Ash!" Grimsby sniffed.

"We're all glad that you have a family member that you wanted," Carlotta cried before joining in the hugging. Ariel noticed Triton and came to him with Pikachu on her shoulder.

"Are you here to see Ash return to his world, father?" she asked.

"I am," Triton replied. "I do have a matter to discuss with him." Breaking from the hug, Ash heard Triton's request. Ariel returned to Eric's side.

"You need me for something, your highness?" he asked.

"I do," the king responded. "You were right, Team Rocket did come by last night. However…" Triton huddled with Ash to explain Team Rocket's punishment as Ariel met with the Pokémon.

"I had a great time with all of you," she praised. "Thank you." Totodile, Squirtle, Swellow, Corphish, Kingler and Pikachu enjoyed Ariel's words. She picked Totodile up before giving him a kiss that made the Big Jaw Pokémon a little embarrassed. Ash awed Triton's punishment to Jessie, James and Meowth who were now in a trench deep under the sea.

"Nice..." he laughed. Triton wanted to commend Ash for the warning.

"Now, I want to grant you a wish for your awareness with my trident," he offered. Ash couldn't believe his luck. Many things ran through his mind.

 _'This could be it!"_ he started to think. _'I can become a Pokémon Master!'_ However, that thought troubled him. _'No, that would be too easy. I would rather earn that title instead of a quick fix. But what could work?'_ That's when an idea emerged. "King Triton..." The king handed the trident to Ash before he pointed it at the sea. A beam shot out and a flash of light exploded, blinding everyone for a few seconds. Everyone wondered what Ash did with the trident.

"Ash, what did you do?" asked Eric.

"Made the connection for anyone who wants to visit the Pokémon World. That way, you can come by and interact with the Pokémon as much as you want and bring them home like Harmony. At least Team Rocket won't try anything on us." Those from the palace and Triton's daugthers awed the wish. Speaking of, Team Rocket couldn't move in their new polyp forms. Many sea creatures swam just above the new polyps. The sight of large eels, anglers, squids and sharks brought constant fear into James and Meowth.

"Get me outta here!" screamed Meowth.

"We don't like it down here!" cried James. Jessie growled, still mad that Ash ruined their surprise.

"If it wasn't bad enough that the twerp ruined our plans to get that locket and Pikachu," she scowled. "That Seaking is making us stay here? I'm gonna miss the Pokémon Contests! I won't become the best!"

"That's what you're worried about!?" the boys snapped.

"I can't help it! This is beyond torture! I want that guy to change us back!" Several jellyfish came closing in on the three. They screamed in fear of what they could become to the jellyfish. Back on the beach, Ash was with Grimsby and Louis after Aquata, Attina, Arista, Adella, Alana and Andria hugged and kissed their future nephew on the cheeks, wishing to see him more.

"Young Master, I do wish you the safest of journeys back in your world," Grimsby praised. He and Ash shook hands.

"I will," Ash promised.

"Ash, ze recipes I gave you will be beneficial to zis Brock or your mother," Louis recommended. Ash shook hands with the chef.

"They'll love the recipes, Chef Louis," he complimented. Ariel reached the trainer to offer her farewell.

"I suppose this is it for us for now," she moaned. She gave Ash a motherly hug before kissing him on the forehead. "I'm anxious to have a son and I may have one in the near future." She gave Ash two more kisses, one to each cheek. Carlotta also gave Ash a kiss to the forehead. Out of nowhere, Max tackled Ash before giving Ash a tongue bath, the trainer tickled.

"Max!" he laughed. "Okay! Stop!" After a few seconds, Max stopped and whimpered. Ash could tell that the sheepdog will miss him. "I know. I would show you another Max that you'd be a friend with." Max lifted his head to rest on the shoulder before Ash hugged him. "You be good, okay?" Max softly barked before Ash turned to Melody. Ash approached his fiancee. "They say save the best for last."

"And I can't think of anyone better to turn to," Melody joked. That's when Ash handed her the prizes from the AquaMon Tournament: the Dive Balls and the Mystic Water. "You're… giving them to me?"

"Absolutely. After all, you're a trainer now with Harmony. It's a reminder of how we met." Melody embraced Ash with a tearful hug.

"You know, I'm gonna miss you." Ash nodded to the claim.

"I believe it. I may not meet a better family, nor be claimed by anyone else. You're the only girl for me. After all… you're a part of my world." Melody giggled, hearing her words come back to her.

"And you'll always be a part of mine." She removed his cap before they engaged in one last kiss with Melody's leg popping up. They soon broke their connection.

"I love you," they said together. After the kiss and recalling his Pokémon, Ash and Pikachu entered the water and entered the tunnel. A few minutes later, Ash and Pikachu came out the same tunnel they entered.

"We should be back," Ash believed.

("So where could they be?") wondered Pikachu. That's when…

"Ash!" someone shouted. Ash and Pikachu turned to find a ferry sailing near the two, Briney on the wheel. Ash and Pikachu waived Briney over. May dropped a ladder to allow Ash to climb up. Ash and Pikachu came on board to see his friends.

"Welcome back, Ash!" greeted Tracey. Brock tossed a few towels for Ash and Pikachu to dry up. "Is Melody back home?"

"She is," Ash replied. "And boy do I have a story to tell."

"I bet," Max joked when he spotted the ring. "And since when do you wear jewelry?" May and the Waterflower sisters came to Ash after Max pointed out the ring.

"Whoa, that's a nice ring Ash has on!" awed Daisy. Ash had a lot to explain.

"You're not gonna believe me when I tell you what happened bringing her to her palace," he admitted. That word made Brock gawk.

"Palace!?" he repeated. "Are you saying that Melody's royalty!?" Ash sighed before explaining Melody's true identity to the group. Needless to say the shock on everyone's face.

"You've gotta be kidding!" gawked May. "Melody's a princess!?"

"And she's also a mermaid!?" shrieked Misty.

"And now you're engaged to her!?" yelped Brock. Misty and May became mad at Melody for hiding such a secret. Ash had a coral-colored medallion in his hand. Triton's castle depicted the carving.

"Technically, half-mermaid," he corrected. "But yes, I'm engaged to the heir of two kingdoms. Not to mention that the merman king himself has dealt with Team Rocket." Misty's sisters pounced onto Ash, hugging him and kissing his and Pikachu's cheeks.

"Ash, you lucky Houndour!" cooed Lily.

"You're a fiance to the princess, there's nothing I can do to top that!" cheered Violet.

"That's our boy!" teased Daisy. The sisters embraced Ash while Max and Tracey thought about the rest.

"That sheepdog has to be more friendly than Pikachu according to Ash," Max referred. "No offense to you, Pikachu."

("None taken,") Pikachu shrugged off.

"Still, merfolk and talking sea life," Tracey awed. "I'd be overwhelmed talking to those." Misty, May and Brock curled themselves in humiliation.

"If you want someone to do what you want, whenever you want," Misty grumbled. "You should get yourself a girlfriend!"

"Misty, Ash didn't get a girlfriend," May corrected while seething. "He has a fiancee!"

"And in Princess Form, too!" cried Brock. Briney and Peeko carried the trainers back to the mainland to resume their journeys.

* * *

 _(Months later)_

It had been sometime since Ash first wore the engagement ring with Melody. He was on a new journey with Brock and a blue-haired girl in a white beanie hat, pink scarf, a black dress attaching a pink skirt and pink boots. Brock wore a green/orange jacket. Ash wore a black vest over a white t-shirt. They set up to enjoy dinner with Pikachu and a blue penguin chick. Both stayed with Ash as he polished his engagement ring. "I'm still amazed that you're engaged to a mermaid princess, Ash!" the girl awed. "Even Piplup likes it!" Ash huffed at the girl's admiration to his story.

"I'm surprised that you're not jealous about it, Dawn," he sneered.

"Well, when you're engaged before I met you, I'm out of luck." Ash sighed to the claim.

"Sorry…"

"Don't be." Ash returned with Pikachu and Piplup to the picnic table when an alluring song from a young woman caught his ears. Pikachu caught the song as well before they turned to the lake, to where the sound seemed to be coming from. This worried Dawn, Brock and Piplup as Ash and Pikachu stepped to the lake in a trance. "Ash?"

("Pikachu?") beaked Piplup.

"Hey, Ash!" called out Brock. Ash and Pikachu didn't hear the two. They reached the edge of the shore. Ash knelt to the edge, hand resting over. A hand soon popped out and yanked Ash into the drink. Dawn and Brock gasped, fearing the worst.

"Ash!" they shouted. Underwater, Ash opened his eyes to see someone kissing him. The blue eyes gave Ash the information he needed: Melody, thus he began to return the kiss. Melody had red mermaid fins which wagged around during the kiss while still wearing her camisole and the Mystic Water. The two emerged with a Milotic and Harmony nearby. Both surfaced to the relief of everyone.

"Ash!" sighed Dawn. "What a relief…" Ash soon returned to shore and helped by Brock.

"This is what I get for putting a lot of faith in Harmony," Melody teased. Harmony emerged and laughed. Ash saw the fins and wondered about her condition.

"Melody, what happened to you?" he asked. "I saw you have fins like your grandpa and your aunts." Melody's giggle hinted to a secret.

"Funny that you mentioned my grandfather," she mentioned. "See, he gave me a spell that works on water or on land." Three more merfolk emerged. One was a blond young muscular merteen. He had a green tail. Another was a raven-haired Asian merboy with fairly tanned skin. He had a blue tail. Last was a brunette young mermaid wearing purple shells for a brassier and a purple tail. Dawn caught the appearance of the blond and rushed to the edge where everyone else saw the move. "Who's that?" Ash had to introduce everyone.

"That's Dawn. She's traveling with me to learn how to be a Pokémon Trainer."

"Nice, and the legacy grows." She turned to the other three merfolk. "Alex, come and meet my fiance!" The blond swam to Ash and Melody before extending a hand.

"So, you're Melody's beau, huh?" he greeted. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Ash returned. When the other two merfolk arrived, Alex gave introductions. "Ash, this is Kim from a faraway ocean." The Asian swam up and introduced himself.

"It's nice to meet a young human like yourself," Kim welcomed.

"As I am meeting more merfolk," Ash countered while shaking Kim's hand.

"And this is Anita," Alex named the brunette. The brunette gave Ash a hug.

"If only I met you before Princess Melody…" she wished. Suddenly, a splash. Dawn came to meet Alex from behind as Anita plucked Pikachu from the shoreline. "Aren't you a cutie…"

("I've been told that a lot,") Pikachu claimed. Without a second, Anita kissed Pikachu on the lips. A loud "CHAAA!" made Anita hug the Pokémon.

"Alex, is it?" questioned Dawn as she swam to in front of him.

"Another human," he gulped.

"I think I found my 'Fish in the Sea'." Without waiting, she kissed Alex. Brock laughed to the sight.

"Love's definitely in the sea, alright," he snickered.

"It does go beyond that, actually," Kim started. Brock turned to Kim for an explanation. "There is a legend that a mermaid's kiss to a boy or a merman's kiss to a girl underwater will grant them Mermaid's Air." Hearing Kim, Ash now believed that he's inherited Mermaid's Air.

"And Melody kissed me after she brought me into the drink!" he reviewed.

"Wanna try?" she asked.

"Sure!" Both dove back in to where Ash took a deep breath. It didn't feel like water was getting in his lungs and breathing just fine. "This is awesome!" He saw Harmony, Milotic, Mantine, a small purple shell with a face on a black pearl inside, a blue marine fox-like creature with ruffs around its neck, ears and tail and a Lapras. "Are these your Pokémon, Melody?"

"They are! Harmony, Milotic, Mantine, Shellder, Lapras and Vaporeon!"

"That's so cool! And I haven't revealed my new Water-type Pokémon." He opened a Pokéball where a light brown weasel wearing a small yellow flotation ring and two tails emerged. "Buizel, I like to show you my fiancee, Melody."

"Hi!"

("Hey, there!") Buizel barked. Alex, Dawn, Kim, Anita and Pikachu joined the couple and their Pokémon.

"So, it _is_ true!" awed Dawn as Milotic came to Buizel and nuzzled its face above the ring. Buizel seemed surprised before Milotic cheered.

"Looks like Milotic's found a mate," Anita teased. Pikachu also couldn't believe the new ability from Anita's kiss.

("Even I can breathe!") the Mouse Pokémon squeaked. He swam to Ash and Melody before they started to swim into the depths. Dawn, Piplup and the other merteens joined in with Alex and Dawn holding hands. As the kids swam, they found their love under the sea. For Ash and Melody, they're now a part of each other's worlds.

* * *

THE END

(Thanks for this voyage. There's a poll to see which Disney fic you want me to tackle in 2019. Meantime, stay tuned for the Ashmas Poll coming up.)


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